Something like Love
by StrangeReverie
Summary: Mello & Matt encounter someone from their past who may very well be the key to their future…and to Kira. AUish. MelloxOCxMatt.
1. Familiar Faces

Hey everyone! Well this is my first Death Note fic, so it should be fun to write. I decided that there weren't enough MelloxOC and MattxOC stories out there so I decided to change that. Hehe. So let me know what you think! Off you go then!

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or its characters. I do own Evie though.

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"Dammit! Where the hell did I put all those chocolate bars?!" exclaimed Mello, practically dismantling the entire room in a desperate attempt to find the candy.

"You ate them all yesterday, Mello…" Matt said lazily, his eyes focused on the video game in front of him, a cigarette dangling from between his lips.

"Shit!"

"Look, it's called a grocery store. Just go and get some more." Matt explained, his gaze still glued on the game.

Mello chose to ignore Matt's suggestion as he continued searching for the chocolate, becoming angrier with every passing minute. It was only when an empty cup went soaring past Matt's head, just inches from hitting him, that he looked up from his game in Mello's direction.

"Alright, I can see where this is going. Just gimme some money and I'll go get your damn chocolate. I need some cigs anyway." Matt said as he stood up and walked over to Mello, his hand outstretched to receive the money.

"Hurry up." Mello demanded as Matt walked out and closed the door behind him.

It was dark and quiet as Matt walked slowly down the street, heading for the 24 hour store a few blocks away. As he neared the store, the open windows cast long slabs of light across the dark sidewalk, the 'Open' sign blinking blinding fluorescent against the dark night. The sliding doors allowed Matt entry as he made his way toward the cigarettes, then toward the chocolate. He was the only one in the small store, except for the cashier, who he heard humming a sad tune and flipping through the pages of a magazine. As he approached the cashier, she quickly put her magazine away and stopped humming, giving him a quick smile instead. He set the mound of chocolate and cigarettes on the counter and she began to ring them up.

"Okay, it comes to $35.50 please. That's a lot of…choc…o…late…" her voice trailed away as she stared up at Matt, who was holding the money out toward her. A puzzled expression adorned her face as she continued to stare at him.

"Uhh...is something wrong?" He asked, not exactly sure of what to say at a time like this.

"Do I…know you?" the girl questioned, squinting a little more as she examined him.

"I don't think so." He said as he put the money on the counter and pushed it toward her, hoping that she would get the idea and hurry up.

She shook her head slightly and seemed to snap out of it, taking the money and putting it in the register.

"I'm sorry," she explained, "it's just that you remind me of someone I knew a long time ago. I didn't mean to be rude or anything."

"Sure. No problem." Matt said, taking his change and shoving it into his pocket as he gathered up the plastic sack and began to walk out the door.

"Matt…"

He stopped quickly and turned around to look back at the cashier. It was barely audible but he was sure he had heard her say his name.

"Did you say something?" he asked.

"Your name…is your name Matt?" she asked timidly, but with a hopeful look on her face.

"Yeah…"

"Matt…from Wammy's House?"

"Um yeah…who—"

But before he could finish his question he was knocked slightly off balance as the girl ran up to him and hugged him, smiling happily.

"It's me! Evie! Don't you remember?" she asked, smiling up at him as she broke the hug and stepped back.

"Evie?! It's really you? I didn't even recognize you!" Matt said, a grin now forming on his face as well.

"Yeah, it's me! I thought I knew you from somewhere! It's so good to see you again, what have you been up to?"

"Uh, not much really…" he lied, deciding that telling her that he was working with Mello in order to capture Kira before Near might be a bit much.

"Yeah, same here I guess. So do you ever talk to Mello anymore? You two were such good friends back in Wammy's. I miss him a lot, too!" Evie asked, still overjoyed at being reunited with her old friend.

Matt took one look at her hopeful, eager face and gave her a hesitant smile, knowing that this was going to turn out to be a long night.

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Sooo, what'd you think? I know this chapter was pretty short and I'm sorry, also, there'll be more Mello next chapter, so don't despair! Gimme feedback por favor! Thanks! 


	2. Reunion

Hallo! Okay so here's chapter 2. Ummmm….not much to say so go ahead and read.

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or its characters.

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The calm silence of the night was broken by the light laughter and amiable conversation as Matt and Evie slowly made their way toward Matt and Mello's apartment.

"So you're living with Mello, huh? I should have known, you two were always together back at Wammy's House." Evie stated, staring off into the distance as she walked next to Matt.

"Yeah, well, we only just started living together. Mello had been doing…other things up until about a month ago. Don't ask me what, even I don't know the whole story."

They continued to walk, conversing about little random things and catching up on year's worth of missed time.

"Well, here we are." Matt said as they approached an old, dark, rundown building that stood along the street. Evie didn't respond, only smiled slightly and waited for Matt to pull out his key. They climbed up a couple flights of stairs and walked down the hall, stopping at a door on the left. Evie squealed with anticipation as Matt unlocked the door and pushed it open.

"What took you so damn long?" Mello inquired, but before he could chastise Matt any further he was caught off guard as Evie ran in and hugged him tightly, her arms wrapped securely around his neck.

"Who the hell are you?!" Mello exclaimed, after regaining his balance. Evie let go of Mello, taking a step back and looking up at him, not able to contain her smile.

"…E-Evie?!" Mello said in a voice close to a whisper as he looked her up and down, taking in her dark brown hair and golden green eyes.

"Yeah! You recognized me! I've missed you so much, Mello!"

Seeing the confused look on Mello's face, Matt took this as his cue to explain. He walked in and set the bag of chocolate and cigarettes on the table, grinning slightly at his friend's reaction.

"She was working at the 24 hour store where I got the chocolate. I didn't even recognize her until she told me who she was. And she wanted to see you, so I figured I'd bring her back with me." Matt explained calmly, lighting up a cigarette when he had finished the story. At the mention of the word 'chocolate', Mello snapped out of his dazed state and went to retrieve a bar from the bag on the table, all the while staring at Evie as though she might be some sort of lack-of-chocolate induced hallucination. After taking a bite of the candy, Mello gave Evie a crooked sort of smirk as he sat down in a chair, motioning her to do the same.

One o'clock in the morning found them happily discussing their memories from their friendship at Wammy's, as well as what they've been doing all this time.

"So why is a Wammy's graduate working at a convenience store, anyway?" Matt inquired, pausing his handheld game to look up at Evie.

"Well, I've been studying to become a doctor at college, but I took a semester off to work. I needed to earn some money if I wanted to stay in school. Even someone who comes from Wammy's House needs more education to enter into a medical field." Evie explained, shrugging and breaking off a piece of chocolate from one of Mello's candy bars.

"A doctor? Hmph…" Mello scoffed as he took a bite of chocolate and looked at Evie.

"And I suppose that all of your actions since leaving Wammy's have been admirable? You're probably still trying to beat Near by capturing Kira before him." She grinned at the small look of surprise that passed over Mello's features, but it was gone in an instant.

"Heh, you always were one of the smartest, Evie." Matt chuckled, resuming his game.

"Well the world just wouldn't make sense if Mello weren't trying to beat Near. I mean, it's been that way ever since I can remember. So do you have any idea of who Kira might be?" Evie asked, repositioning herself in the chair and tucking her feet under her.

"It's none of your damn business. Kira's got nothing to do with you." Mello responded.

"That's not true! Look, maybe I could help you with your investigation! I won't get in the way, and I'll only do what you tell me!" Evie pleaded, her green eyes sparkled with hope and determination.

"No, it's—"

"Think about it, Mello," Matt interrupted, "neither Near or the second L would know that she's working with us. We could really use that to our advantage. Not to mention she's also really smart."

Evie looked from Mello, to Matt, then back to Mello, perching herself on the edge of her seat, a small smile gracing her lips.

"Fine. But you won't interfere unless we give you specific orders, got it?" Mello said harshly as he took a rather vicious bite of chocolate, frustrated by this new development.

"I understand! This'll be great! It'll be like when we all used to work together on those mock who-dun-it cases back at Wammy's!" Evie exclaimed happily.

"Except this time, it isn't just some stupid school assignment," Mello said, looking at her warily, crumpling up his empty chocolate wrapper and tossing it on the table, "this time, if we fuck up, we die."

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Alrighty, so there's chapter two for you, kinda short...I know. Hope you enjoyed it though, don't worry, the story will get more acitony and romancey so that's good, huh? But yeah, _please _review and let me know what you think of it so far! Next chapter should be up fairly quickly I think…so until then, bye bye! 


	3. Stroke of Luck

Heeeyy everyone!! I hope you're all well and good! Well this is the third installment of the story. For some reason I was extremely tired today…but now it's like one in the morning and I'm all like "YEAH! LET'S GO!!". And I also want some cake. But sadly, I have no cake. So I will have to distract myself by writing! Anyway…ignore my mindless chitchat and read chappie tres!

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or its characters.

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Evie opened her eyes slowly, allowing them to adjust to the morning light as she yawned quietly and looked around. She had fallen asleep curled up in the armchair, with Matt sprawled out on the floor below her and Mello lay asleep on the couch, a bar of chocolate clutched in his hand. Evie smiled to herself as she looked at the sleeping forms of her two friends. She sighed and stood up, stretching, and walked over to the laptop situated on the table, its clock reading 8:57 AM.

"Oh crap! It's already 8:57?! I'm going to be late for work…again! Ooooh my boss is going to kill me!" she exclaimed loudly, staring at the laptop as though it were lying to her.

"Huh…? What's goin' on?" Matt's voice was hesitant and thick with sleep as he slowly pulled himself up into a sitting position, rubbing his eyes.

"Work! I have to go to work! I'm gunna be late!!" Evie shouted, now frantically pulling on her shoes.

"…Shut…the hell up…trying to…sleep!" Mello said, only half awake as he launched the chocolate bar he was holding in the general direction of Matt and Evie. Evie finished putting on her shoes and made her way to the door as she tried to comb out her hair with her fingers.

"Wait, wait. I'll drive you, alright?" Matt offered, now standing up and grabbing his keys from the table.

"Are you sure you're fit to drive? You look like you're still half asleep…" Evie pointed out, a skeptical look on her face. Matt answered with a long yawn as he walked out the door and into the hallway, Evie shrugged and followed behind him, closing the apartment door softly behind her.

Matt pulled up next to the 24 hour store where Evie worked and watched as she climbed out of the car.

"Thanks so much for the ride, Matt! I really appreciate it!" Evie said, bending down and speaking to him through the open car window.

"Yeah, no problem. Well, see ya after work then?"

"Yup! Goodbye!" Evie exclaimed as she straightened up and ran into the store. Once inside, she sighed loudly and glanced at the clock.

"Alright, only 9:07. At least boss didn't notice that I'm—"

"Late?!" her manager finished her sentence as he walked up behind her, his arms folded angrily over his chest.

_Oh well, I knew this was coming_. Evie thought to herself as she turned around to face her angry boss.

Three hours later and Evie was bored out of her mind. She always hated working during the daytime because hardly anyone showed up since people were usually at work. She walked over to a large shelf and decided upon a fashion magazine to pass the time. She flipped through the pages, her mind barely registering what she was looking at until she happened upon a large advertisement for lip gloss. She stared at the picture, Misa Amane stared back at her from the glossy print.

_This is the girl…Misa Amane_. Evie thought to herself, her eyes still glued to the page.

Her mind recalled the long discussion she had had last night with Mello and Matt concerning Kira. Their plan had been for Evie to try and get close to Misa because, according to their sources of information, Misa was connected to the second L, who may be connected to Kira.

_But how am I supposed to get close to someone famous? She'll certainly be guarded, and even if I did meet her, what should I say so that she won't just write me off as another fan?_ Evie thought to herself. She continued flipping through the magazine, though her thoughts were on completely different matters.

As the day dragged on, a few customers popped in here and there to buy cigarettes or a snack, but nothing worth mentioning. When the sun began to set and the clock ticked away toward six in the evening, Evie waited anxiously for the next employee to come in so she could leave. As the doors slid open, Evie looked up hopefully, expecting to see a fellow coworker ready to come and relieve her of her duties. However, she looked up and met the eyes of none other than Misa Amane. Recovering quickly from her state of shock, Evie straightened up and smiled as Misa complained to the man who was with her.

"But Mogii, I need some new magazines! I've already looked through my other ones a million times! I'll only be a second, promise!" Misa said happily, darting away from Mogi and heading toward the large shelf of magazines.

Evie's brain was working full speed trying to comprehend her luck, as well as think about how best to go about befriending Ms. Amane. She finally decided upon a plan, and walked up to where Misa was standing, flipping through various magazines.

"E-Excuse me…but you're Misa Amane, right?" Evie asked Misa, forcing her voice to pose the question in a believable tone.

"Yeah! That's me!" Misa exclaimed, looking up from her magazine at Evie and giving her a huge smile.

"Wow, I'm such a huge fan! I was just reading the article about you in…er…" Evie chanced a glance at the magazine shelf behind Misa and spotted her on the cover of _Teen Image_, "in Teen Image. You're so talented!" Evie exaggerated, hoping that Misa hadn't noticed her obvious glance at the magazines, which she hadn't, as she responded cheerfully:

"Yup! Thank you so much, I do my best!"

"Well, you do great! Oh, I'm Chloe, by the way, Chloe Young." Evie said, extending her hand to Misa, who shook it and smiled at her.

"It's nice to meet you! But there's no point in introducing myself, really, since you already know me!" Misa said, laughing.

"That's true! Oh! That reminds me, I have to do a school paper on someone who has inspired me, and I was going to write about you! But now that I've met you…I was wondering if you would be willing to let me ask you a few questions? It would be so great if I could include an interview with the real live Misa Amane!" Evie exclaimed with mock enthusiasm, though her acting skills far surpassed Misa's.

"Of course! I couldn't deny a devoted fan such a simple request!"

"Really?! Oh, that's so wonderful! Thank you so much! How about Thursday? I can give you my cell phone number and you can call me and let me know the time and place and I'll meet you there…since I'm sure your schedule is really packed."

"Actually, Thursday works great! I'll give you my number, too!" Misa said excitedly, pulling out her phone and entering Evie's number as she told her. As Evie was entering the last digit of Misa's number, Mogi popped his head around the corner and looked at the two girls.

"Misa Misa, are you almost ready to go?" Mogi asked in his 'manager voice'.

"Oops, sorry Mogi! I almost forgot about you! But look, I've made a new friend! Her name is Chloe Young and she's going to do a school paper about me! Isn't that exciting, Mogi? Misa is even going to be famous in schools!" Misa said, dragging Evie over to Mogi as she introduced her.

"Well it's nice to meet you, Chloe! But Misa, we really do need to get going…" Mogi responded.

"Oh fine Mogi, you're such a drag!" Misa said as she walked over to the cash register and pulled out her money. Evie followed her over and walked behind the counter, ringing up the magazines as she continued her conversation with Misa.

"Well, I'll see you later then, Misa!" Evie exclaimed as she waved energetically at the retreating forms of Misa and Mogi.

"Okay! Bye bye, Chloe! I'll call you on Thursday!"

As the doors closed behind them, Evie let out a long sigh and smiled to herself. All things considered, it had been an extremely successful day! She heard the doors slide open again and looked up to see her coworker, out of breath and sweating slightly, walk inside.

"Sorry, Evie. I know I'm like 15 minutes late, but you'll never believe who I saw walking down the street just now!" Seth, her coworker, explained.

"Hmm…who?" Evie asked, faking curiosity as she gathered up her purse and made her way toward the door.

"Misa Misa! It was Misa Amane! Can you believe it?!" Seth exclaimed.

"Wow, you got to meet Misa Amane? I'm so jealous, Seth. Well, see you later!"

And with that, Evie turned around and walked out, grinning to herself as she began to walk down the street, the cool night air kissing her face as the stars winked down at her from the heavens.

_Yes! I can't wait to tell Mello and Matt about tonight! They're going to be so happy!_ Evie thought to herself, quickening her pace as she headed back to the old apartment.

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Well there you have it. Chapter three. You know…it feels like I used a lot of exclamation points in this chapter. Lol. Seriously, though. All the excited chatter between Misa and Chloe/Evie really wore out my exclamation point key. Hehe. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Next one will probably be up quickly, so YAY. Yessss….REVIEW!! (there're those darn exclamation points again. ;) 


	4. Chocolate and Cigarettes

Alrighty, hey everyone! How's it going?? Well here's chapter four for your enjoyment!

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or its characters.

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Evie climbed the two flights of stairs up to Matt and Mello's apartment, knocking excitedly on the door as she replayed her meeting with Misa in her mind. The door was pulled open and Mello stood on the other side. Once he realized who it was, he turned and walked back to the couch, leaving the door open for Evie to enter.

"Nice to see you, too…" Evie grumbled under her breath, but nothing could dampen her mood, so she walked inside, closing the door behind her.

"Hey." Matt said, situated in front of a game system, a swirl of smoke rising from his lit cigarette.

"Hey! Okay, you guys are never going to guess what happened today!" Evie said, tossing her purse on the table and sitting on the couch next to Mello.

"What?" Mello said indifferently.

"Not only did I meet Misa Amane, but I also have an interview with her on Thursday!" Evie said as she looked from Mello to Matt, searching for approval. Mello turned toward her, surprised, a bit of chocolate hanging out of his mouth.

"Yeah," Evie laughed at the expression on his face, "I just pretended to be a devoted fan named Chloe Young who wanted to do a report about how Misa has inspired me. Naturally, she couldn't turn me down, so she agreed to do the interview. All I have to do is befriend her a little more and I'll be on my way to top secret information!" Evie exclaimed, smiling broadly at her two friends.

"I knew it was a good idea to have you on our side." Matt said flatly, still playing his game.

"Evie…never mind," Mello said, turning away from her slightly, "Well, I'm surprised you got this far so fast, just don't screw it up."

"Aw, such kind words of encouragement!" Evie said sarcastically. "By the way, I was planning on going to my apartment tonight to pick up some clothes and stuff, but I just got so excited that I came straight here to tell you the news. So, I really don't wanna sleep in my work uniform again, can I borrow a shirt or something?"

"Sure, you can borrow one of my shirts," Matt offered, "Unless, of course, you would prefer to sleep in leather, then you could borrow something from Mello."

Evie laughed slightly as she stood up and went into Matt's room to get a shirt, undressing and putting it on. Thankfully, it was too big and hung down to the middle of her thigh.

_Oh well, it'll have to do until tomorrow. I mean…it's not _that_ bad, girls wear skirts shorter than this…_ Evie thought to herself as she tugged on the striped shirt, making it as long as possible. She shrugged at her reflection in the mirror and walked back out to rejoin the boys. She grabbed a bar of chocolate off the table as she walked by (receiving a subtle glare from Mello), unwrapping it and biting off a square.

"Oh, don't worry, I'll buy you some more," Evie said, noticing Mello watching her, "I haven't eaten all day and you guys don't have food here, so unless you expect me to eat Matt's cigarettes, my only other option is your chocolate."

"Whatever." Mello said nonchalantly as Evie walked over to Matt, sitting on the floor next to him.

"What'cha playin'?" She asked, watching the screen as he shot another zombie-like creature.

"It's fun, you wanna play too?" Matt asked, taking down another two zombies.

"Yeah! I won't be very good though, I haven't played video games in years." Evie explained, taking the second controller and preparing for the digital battle.

Two and a half hours and many games later and Evie had yet to win a game.

"Wow, I've never seen anyone who was this bad at video games." Matt said, smirking as he earned another kill.

"Hey!" Evie said, smacking Matt playfully on the arm, "I'm not bad, just…out of practice!" Evie said, trying to redeem herself but getting gunned down again.

Matt chuckled as the time ran out and the final score popped up on the screen: 50 Kills to 1 Kill.

Evie sighed and set the controller down on the floor, hanging her head in defeat.

"No need to get upset, Evie," Matt said, ruffling her hair, "Mello can't beat me either…"

"No, but I'm a hell of a lot better than that." Mello said, grinning slightly.

"Hey! You were watching? Well, like I said, I'm just out of practice is all!" Evie exclaimed, standing up to face Mello and putting her hands on her hips. Matt stood too, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he walked into his bedroom to collect his handheld game and another pack of cigarettes, returning quickly and sitting in one of the armchairs.

Evie sat down next to Mello on the couch, who had begun looking at various files they had compiled on the laptop with information about Kira, Misa, the second L, even Near. Evie scooted over until she was right next to Mello, wanting to get a good view of the information and read it herself. She read about an explosion at the headquarters of the Mafia that Mello was a part of. It had been triggered by Mello himself in a last ditch effort to escape the members of the Japanese Task Force. Evie wondered briefly if that was where he had acquired the scar that now ran along the left side of his face, however, she wisely decided not to ask about it. And as her eyes continued to scan page after endless page of text, the information began to run together in her weary mind and she felt her eyes begin to close against her will. Faraway, she heard Matt and Mello's voices conversing quietly about something, the soft electronic hum of the laptop, and the monotone beeps of Matt's game, until she drifted off into sleep.

She awoke once during the night to find herself propped securely against Mello, her head resting on his shoulder as he slumbered quietly next to her, but almost immediately, sleep reclaimed her. She didn't wake again until late the next morning when this time she found herself curled up on the couch, her head resting upon her arms in Mello's lap. She stirred slightly and lifted herself up into a sitting position, her legs still tucked under her, all the while waking Mello up in the process.

"Good morning!" Evie said happily, finding that she had slept quite well that night.

"…"

"Not much of a morning person, huh?" She asked, giving him a teasing smile. She looked over to where Matt had been last night, but found that he wasn't there. "Where do you think Matt went?" She asked Mello.

"How the hell should I know? He's probably in his room or something." Mello answered, standing up and grabbing a bar of chocolate from the table.

"Do you ever eat anything else?" Evie inquired, looking up at him from the couch.

He shrugged in response, walking over to the small window and pulling back the shade, observing the sunny day outside.

"I can take you to work today." He said, still staring out the window.

"That would be great! Ooh, do I get to ride your motorcycle?! I've always wanted to ride one!" Evie said, standing up quickly and heading over to where Mello still stood.

"Yeah, now go get ready." He said, looking down at her and biting off a piece of chocolate. She nodded her head in understanding and went to go get ready. Mello watched her as she walked away happily, a small smile formed on his lips as he turned back to look out the window.

She was half way to the bathroom when she remembered that she had changed last night in Matt's room and had left her work uniform in there. She groaned quietly and inwardly scolded herself for her stupidity as she turned to face Matt's closed bedroom door.

_Oh well_, she thought to herself, _it's almost noon, he should get up now anyway!_ Inspired by these thoughts, she opened his bedroom door and walked inside. Matt lay sprawled out on his bed, the covers halfway off the bed as he snored slightly.

"GOOD MORNING, MATT!!" Evie yelled happily as she jumped onto the bed next to him, kneeling at his side.

"WAH! THE ZOMBIES!!" He shouted and sat bolt upright, eyes wide with surprise, breathing rapidly as he turned to look at Evie, who was now trying to suppress a fit of laughter. She couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing, collapsing on Matt's bed and holding her stomach. He gave her an evil glare and reached for the sides of her stomach, tickling her as she laughed and laughed.

"Ha! You're still ticklish here, I haven't forgotten!" He said as he watched her laugh, tears forming at the corners of her eyes as he continued to tickle her.

"Okay, you win! You win!" She shouted, gasping for air between laughs.

"I win? Well, it's a shame you lost to me again…" Matt said coyly.

"Oh no, video games and tickling are completely separate issues!" Evie said as she sat on the bed, still breathing heavily and wiping her eyes.

"Not to me. Now get outta here…and gimme my shirt back!" He said jokingly as she rolled off the bed and gathered up her work clothes. She headed for the door and walked out, but not before sticking her tongue out at Matt.

"Very mature, Evie…" He said quietly, flopping back down onto his bed as he heard the door close.

"You finally ready?" Mello asked as Evie walked back into the small sitting room, wearing her work uniform and collecting her purse from the table.

"Yup, sorry to make you wait, though! Let's go!" She answered, smiling sweetly at Mello.

He led Evie outside and over toward where his motorcycle was parked, climbing onto it and putting his helmet on. Evie, not too sure of what to do, climbed on the back of it and placed her hands around Mello's waist.

"Hold on tight." He warned as he started the ignition and they took off down the street.

"This is so much fun, I want a motorcycle now!" She yelled to him, not entirely sure if he could hear her or not. She held on tighter as they took a turn and sped up, laying her head against Mello's back. He smelled like chocolate and cigarettes, and Evie smiled to herself as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of the wind through her hair.

When they arrived at Evie's work place, she was almost reluctant to climb off the motorcycle. She loved the strange feeling of freedom she had had while riding it, and with Mello, she had felt entirely safe. She let out an almost inaudible sigh and gave Mello a tight squeeze, thanking him for the ride, and climbed off.

"I'll be here at seven to pick you up, we can go to your apartment and get some of your stuff if you want." He said, looking at Evie through the visor of his helmet.

"That'd be great! But are you sure you should be riding around like this? I mean, if Kira—"

"I'll keep my helmet on so no one can see my face. See you at seven." He said as he sped off down the street. Evie watched him until he disappeared around a corner, then turned and headed inside for another day at work.

No celebrities or long lost friends came to the store today, so Evie was thankful when seven o'clock rolled around and she was able to leave. As promised, Mello was waiting outside with his motorcycle, turning his head as Evie approached.

"Hey!" She said as she climbed on behind him, hugging him tight around the waist as she breathed in his familiar scent and stared up at the twilight sky. They took off, that same sense of freedom possessing Evie once again as she directed Mello toward her apartment. When they arrived, she told him to wait there as she ran inside and threw all her clothes and toiletries into a duffel bag as quickly as she could. Five minutes later she was racing back outside, panting slightly she heaved the duffel bag onto the very back of the motorcycle and prayed that it stayed there until they arrived at Mello's place.

"That was fast, you sure you got everything?" He asked her as she climbed on, once again, behind him.

"Yeah," she said, collapsing against him, tired from all the hurried running around, "that should be everything, I think."

With that, Mello started up the motorcycle and drove off quickly back to his apartment, constantly aware of the feeling of Evie's warm, fragile body against his.

They arrived back at the apartment in what seemed like no time at all. Evie gathered up her duffel bag and followed Mello inside. They climbed up the stairs into the old apartment which held the promise of a nice long shower, clean clothes, a videogame rematch with Matt, and the possibility of using Mello as a pillow again.

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Okay, phew. Chapter four! Hooray! It's longer than the other chapters so that's good…although nothing extremely significant happened in this chapter. But it was lots of fun to write! Next chapter is Evie's meeting with Misa…which will lead to an interesting development. So until next chapter…review please, I'd really like to know what your thoughts are about the story... thnx! 


	5. Thursday

Hola mis amigos! Okay, so I've discovered it's kinda tough to keep track of what's going on in Death Note while trying to write a fanfiction that makes sense with the original storyline. Lol…my brain hurts. So far I think I'm okay as far as sticking with what actually happens in DN, but just for the future…of course, I will bend the storyline a little (or a lot…not entirely sure yet), but yeah. Sorry, this is a long author's note, but I just had to complain hehe. So please read on!

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or its characters.

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Evie had set the alarm on her cell phone to go off at 9 AM that morning, as it was Thursday and she had no idea when Misa was going to call. The alarm beeped and beeped until, finally, Evie rolled off the couch (which she was, once again, sharing with Mello) and went to go shut it off.

_Good thing I set my alarm though…I wouldn't have woken up for another few hours, I'm exhausted_. She thought to herself, recalling the late night she had had with Matt and Mello. They had stayed up playing video games and discussing Kira, among other things, until the wee hours of the morning, until they all sort of fell asleep where they sat.

Matt sat on the floor, fast asleep and leaning against the couch, the screen of his handheld console flashed 'Game Over'. Mello was asleep on the couch, now occupying the space that he had once shared with Evie.

She picked up her phone and went into the bathroom to get ready for her meeting with Misa, carefully styling her hair, applying extra makeup, and dressing in her most fashionable outfit. She surveyed the results in the mirror and smiled, satisfied, as she walked back into the sitting room. It was now nearly 10:30 and the boys were beginning to reluctantly wake up.

"Hey guys!" Evie greeted them, smiling happily.

"You look nice, did you dress up that much for Misa?" Matt inquired, pulling himself up into a standing position and examining Evie.

"Uh huh, I figured if I'm going to be trying to get on the good side of a fashion model, fashion may be one of the best ways to do it."

"Makes sense, I guess." Matt said, already pulling out a new cigarette and lighting it up.

"You know, you really should cut back on the smoking," Evie scolded him, "you're going to get—" but before she could finish her sentence, her cell phone began to ring and she picked it up, looking at the number. "It's Misa!" She said anxiously, flipping it open and holding it to her ear.

"Hello?...Okay, sure…Right….Yeah, sounds great! I'll be there in 20 minutes! Uh huh, bye bye!" She snapped the phone closed again, smiling happily.

"So, where're you meeting?" Mello asked, watching Evie closely.

"We're meeting at the Sunny Side Café, it's not far from here, right? And don't worry, I don't expect either of you to drive me, I'll just take the train, ok?" Evie explained, as both Mello and Matt had begun to offer her a ride. "Well, I should get going. Wish me luck!" She said as she picked up her purse and hugged each of them in turn before walking out the door.

"Do you think she'll be alright?" Matt asked Mello, flicking the ash off his cigarette.

"Well, Misa was the second Kira, but she doesn't appear to have Kira's power anymore. As long as Evie's careful, she should be fine…" Mello said, biting off a piece of chocolate and chewing it contemplatively.

"Chloe, over here!" Evie turned toward the direction of the voice and found its owner, which wasn't too difficult as the Sunny Side Café was mostly empty. She walked over to the booth and slid in across from Misa, who was wearing large sunglasses and a hat to hide her identity.

"Misa, hi! I didn't even recognize you!" Evie said, giggling.

"Yeah, sorry for the disguise. But I thought it'd be nice to not have any interruptions, right?"

"Sure! So, do you wanna get started now with the interview?"

"Yup! Ask away, Misa is ready!"

Evie played her cards just right, easing into the conversation by asking normal questions which Misa answered easily. But once they had become completely comfortable around each other, Evie began asking more difficult and in-depth questions.

"So tell me about your past, Misa. I know it's quite tragic." Evie said carefully, flipping to a new page in the notebook she had brought with her and getting ready to jot down notes.

"W-Well, both of my parents were killed in front of me by a burglar, I could do nothing to stop it, so I just stood there helplessly and watched. After that, I moved to Tokyo to start my career as a model." Misa said in a small voice, hesitant to recall such information.

"So, you're an orphan?"

"Yes, but I do have a sister! I talk to her from time to time, but we're not really very close."

"I'm sorry about your parents. But…I'm an orphan, too. My parents were killed in a car accident when I was just a baby. But at least you have a sister, I don't have anyone left." Evie said, seizing the moment and looking away from Misa sadly. It was a true story, after all, but Evie had no memory of her parents so it wasn't that difficult to talk about.

"Really? I'm so sorry, Chloe! But I'll be your friend, okay?! We already have so much in common, it'll be great!" Misa said, throwing her hands in the air excitedly.

"Thank you so much, Misa! Your friendship means a lot to me!"

"Sure! And guess what?! Misa can introduce you to her other friends, too! Then Misa's friends can be your friends"

"That would be wonderful!"

"In fact, I'm going to visit my friends after my photo shoot today. You can come!"

"Really?! I can come? I'm so excited, this'll be great!" Evie exclaimed, grinning inwardly at how perfectly her plan was going.

They paid for their drinks and left the Sunny Side Café, taking a train to the studio where Misa's photo shoot was to take place.

"Misa Misa, great you're here!" Mogi shouted energetically as Misa walked into the studio, Evie following closely behind her.

"Mogi, this is my friend Chloe, do you remember her from the 24 hour store earlier this week? Chloe, this is one of my managers, Mogi." Misa said, pulling Evie in front of her to face Mogi.

"Of course, nice to see you again, Chloe. Misa, they're waiting for you over in makeup." Mogi said, smiling at Evie, then turning to speak to Misa.

"Right! Misa Misa is coming!" Misa said loudly, rushing over to get her makeup done for the shoot. "Chloe, come over here!" She shouted as multiple people hovered around her applying foundation and eye shadow.

"O-Okay…" Evie said, walking over to Misa and standing there awkwardly.

"Are you a model, too?" One of the men applying Misa's makeup asked, looking up at Evie.

"Who, me? No, of course not! I'm just one of Misa's friends." Evie replied, a delicate blush creeping across her cheeks.

"Well, you've certainly got the body and looks for it, sweetie." He said, turning away from Evie and focusing once again on Misa, who was giggling lightly at Evie.

The photo shoot proceeded without a hitch, unless you count Misa dragging Evie over to be in a few pictures with her. Other than that, Evie stood on the sidelines growing increasingly more bored with each new pose that Misa struck. But for the sake of her ultimate plan, she smiled and pretended to be infatuated with what was going on. Once the photo shoot had concluded, Misa dressed in her normal clothes again and went to talk to one of the agents, returning to Evie a few minutes later holding multiple pictures.

"Look, Chloe! I got some pictures for us!" She said, handing the doubles of each print to Evie and keeping a set for herself.

"Wow, these turned out really cute!" Evie exclaimed, examining the photos of her and Misa closely.

"I know! You really should be a model, you look almost as good as me on camera!" Misa said, smiling and hugging Evie.

_Was that a compliment…?_ Evie thought to herself as Misa released her, taking her hand and dragging her toward the door.

"Mogi, Misa and Chloe are leaving now, are you coming?" Misa hollered at Mogi from across the studio.

"Uhh, yes, coming!" Mogi said as she rushed over and held the door open for Evie and Misa, walking out behind them.

"So, where are we going now, Misa?" Evie asked happily, walking alongside Misa and boarding another train.

"We're going to visit my other friends, remember?! They're going to be so happy to meet you! I'll even introduce you to my boyfriend!" Misa exclaimed. Mogi turned quickly to look at Misa, alarmed by her proclamation.

"But, Misa, your boyfriend might be…busy…" Mogi said, hoping that Misa would get the hint.

"He can't be too busy for Misa and her new friend!" She responded in a bubbly voice, wagging a finger at Mogi.

"What's your boyfriend's name?" Evie asked tentatively, eyeing Misa as she spoke.

"His name is Light Yagami!"

"Light…what an interesting name. But I can't wait to meet him!" Evie said, turning from Misa to stare out the window at the passing scenery.

_Light Yagami…I don't think Mello ever mentioned that name, but if Misa is indeed connected to the second L or Kira…I have to be careful._ Evie thought to herself, her mind racing, as she gazed out the window and listened to the meaningless chatter of Mogi and Misa.

* * *

So okay, there's chapter five. I had originally planned to go a little farther with this chapter, like actually getting to the meeting between Light and Evie, but then I decided against it. So tell me…what do you think of the story so far? Next chappie will probably be up tomorrow, so hooray! Review please, thanks! 


	6. A Dangerous Lie

Guten Abend, hier ist Teil Sechs! Heey everyone, its chapter six! (Which is roughly what the German says…hehe ;P It's nice and late and I'm up writing! For some reason, I noticed that I write a lot better at night. I dunno, guess I'm just weird like that. Anywho, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or its characters.

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The train continued to speed along, until it reached one of its final stops, it was at this stop that Misa, Evie, and Mogi exited the train, bound for the building that now served as headquarters for the Japanese Task Force.

"I think you're going to get along well with my friends, Chloe! And I'm sure they're going to like you a lot!" Misa said with enthusiasm, as she smiled widely at Evie.

"I hope so, so how many people are you going to introduce me to, exactly?"

"I don't know, it depends on if everyone is there right now, I guess…" Misa said, contemplating who may be there and counting them out on her fingers.

"Misa, can I talk with you alone, please?" Mogi asked, pulling Misa aside and leaving Evie to stand alone on the sidewalk.

_She wouldn't be stupid enough to take me directly to the second L and the Japanese Task Force…would she? I mean, Mello informed me that Mogi is a part of the Kira investigation, and he has seemed a little anxious ever since Misa said we were going to meet Light..._ Evie thought to herself, watching the conversation between Mogi and Misa with interest.

"Look, Misa, all I'm saying is that we don't know very much about this girl, and to just lead her right into the HQ, it wouldn't be a very good idea." Mogi tried to reason with her, but Misa stood her ground.

"Chloe is fine, and I trust her completely! What, do you think she's a spy or something? Gimme a break, Mogi. Like I've said before, you're always such a drag! If you don't want to come you don't have to, but I'm going to introduce her to Light!" Misa said, glaring at Mogi and crossing her arms.

"Well," Mogi began, seeing that he clearly wasn't going to win this one and opting to negotiate instead, "maybe you should at least call Light and the others and give them some warning that you're coming?"

"But I wanted it to be a surprise!" Misa whined, pulling out her phone nonetheless. She dialed the number of the main phone there, and waited for someone to answer.

"Hello? Matsuda speaking…" the voice on the other end answered.

"Matsuda! This is Misa! Me and Mogi are coming over, I have someone that I want you all to meet, okay? I'll see you soon, bye!" She said, not even giving Matsuda a moment to speak before ending the call and looking up at Mogi, "There, are you happy?" She asked, pouting, as she walked back over to Evie and began walking ahead of Mogi.

In a matter of minutes they had reached the large, multi story building, and Misa led them to the elevator, hitting the button for the 5th floor. They exited the elevator and made their way to one of the doors lining the hallway, a gold number 509 glistened on the door as Misa knocked happily. The door was pulled open after a moment or two and Ide stood on the other side looking slightly bewildered by their guests.

"Hello, Ide! It's me! Look, I brought someone for you all to meet! Don't be rude by making us stand out here, let us in!" Misa said, but Ide didn't move.

"Is it Misa?" Matsuda asked, popping up behind Ide to see who was at the door.

"How did you know she was coming?" Ide asked Matsuda accusingly.

"Oh…eh heh heh, I must have forgotten to tell you all, but she called a few minutes ago and said she was coming over." Matsuda explained, giving Ide a strange look of shame and innocence. Ide glared daggers at Matsuda, as he turned back toward Misa.

"See? Misa is a good girl and she called to let you know she was coming over!" Misa said, entering the room despite Ide's request to stop, dragging Evie along with her.

"Mogi, you should have stopped her! This could turn out really bad!" Ide said quietly, now rounding on Mogi, who still stood in the hallway.

"I tried to stop her too, but she just wouldn't listen." Mogi said, shaking his head in defeat.

"Alright you guys, come back inside, I have someone I want you to meet!" Misa exclaimed happily, leading Evie into the sitting room. Matsuda followed her excitedly as Ide and Mogi lagged behind, hoping it would be over soon.

"Everyone, this is my friend, Chloe Young! Chloe, I'd like you to meet my friends, Ide, Matsuda, Aizawa, and of course, you already know Mogi!" Misa said, pointing to each one in turn as she introduced them.

_This is bad…Misa might as well hand out our personal information to this girl. How can we be sure she isn't some sort of spy or perhaps even another Kira?!_ Aizawa thought to himself, becoming more nervous as the situation advanced.

"It's nice to meet you all! I hope we haven't interrupted anything!" Evie apologized, smiling nervously at the group. _This has to be it…the Japanese Task Force! Why else would Misa know a group of men in suits who all seem extremely nervous about an outsider coming in?_ Evie thought. _But that means…_

"Matsuda, do you know where Light is? I wanted him to meet Chloe, too!" Misa inquired, turning to face Matsuda.

"Uhh, sure. I can go get him for you, Misa!"

"Great! Thanks, Matsu!" She called after him as he walked into another room.

A minute later, an irate looking Light Yagami immerged from the room, followed by Matsuda, who pulled the door closed softly, but it sprang open again, standing slightly ajar.

"Light!!" Misa said, launching herself at him and suffocating him with a tight hug. "Misa has missed you so much! How come you never come hom—"

"Misa, I'm busy right now. Did you need something?" Light asked, sparing a quick glance in Evie's direction.

"Well, I wanted to see you, plus I wanted you to meet my friend! Her name is Chloe Young! Chloe, this is my boyfriend I was telling you about, Light!" Misa said energetically, hanging on Light's arm.

"It's nice to meet you, Light. I'm sorry we bothered you during work." Evie said carefully, gauging his response, but his features remained unchanged.

"You don't have to apologize, Chloe! Light is happy to see Misa, right, Light?" Misa said, gazing up at him, her eyes alight with devotion.

"Misa, you should know better than to bother me at work." Light said, his voice dripping with disdain.

"I'm sorry, Light, but I thought you would be happy to take a break with Misa and her new friend! Pleaaase just sit with us for awhile, I can make some tea for everyone, too, okay?"

"Fine, but only for a few minutes, then you have to leave."

"YAY!" Misa shouted, skipping off to go prepare the tea.

Everyone sat down on the couches and chairs and a deep, awkward silence developed as Evie contemplated each person in turn. Mogi for certain wasn't L, and Matsuda was too stupid to be L, while Aizawa and Ide offered the possibility, Light had a certain air of confidence and leadership that made him stand out in Evie's mind. If anyone here was L, it would probably be Light, but Evie couldn't be sure.

"So, Chloe, are you one of Misa's model friends?" Matsuda asked, breaking the silence.

"Nope, just a fan of Misa's." Evie said, blushing again at the assumption that she was a model. "I met Misa a couple days ago and we discovered that we had a lot in common, we've become really good friends, you know?"

"That's great, I'm glad she introduced you to us!"

"Yeah, me too. So Light, how long have you been dating Misa?" Evie asked, realizing it was a blunt move to ask such a forward question.

"A few years, why do you ask?"

"Oh just wondering. By the way, sorry again for interrupting your work. What kind of work do you do, anyway?" Evie questioned, trying to keep her tone light and friendly.

"I run my own business, of sorts." Light answered.

"You run a business from this place? But I don't see any computers or fax machines, there wasn't even a sign on the door either. What kind of business is it?"

"An internet business, the computer is in the other room." He replied, eyeing Evie carefully now.

"And such a business requires three men in suits to assist you? I always imagined that internet businesses operating out of such a small place were more of the independent and casual type of jobs." Evie challenged.

"Yes, well I—"

"Misa is back with tea for everybody!" Misa exclaimed, cutting off Light in the middle of his sentence as she placed the tray of tea on the table, distributing the cups. "Did you all have fun talking while I was away?"

"Yeah, I was just asking about Light's work. You didn't tell me that he ran his own internet business, Misa."

"Internet…? But Light works for the poli—"

"Misa!" Ide yelled quickly, looking at her with wide eyes then turning toward Light.

"It's okay, I'm not stupid, I knew that Light didn't run an internet business. However, I must admit, the police wasn't on the top of my career list for him." Evie said, shrugging it off and taking a drink of tea.

"See? Chloe is smart just like Light!" Misa said, trying to redeem herself.

"Just out of curiosity…why is a small group of police acting out of a building like this, don't you guys have offices in the actual police department?" Evie inquired. She knew she was on thin ice, but she had come this far and didn't want to leave until she had found out some more information.

"Yes, we have offices, but our mission is one that must be carried out in secrecy. That's why we are operating from here." Light said, avoiding details as much as possible. However, he knew if he answered too vaguely, it would only increase suspicion.

"I see. So can I ask a question? I've been wondering, have the Japanese police really stopped hunting down Kira?" Evie asked, leaning forward slightly in her seat.

"Yes, but I believe there are still some underground groups within the Japanese police that wish to oppose Kira."

"Of course there are. There will never be any person who possesses such power and goes unopposed. I suppose that this group is one of those that are operating underground, trying to catch Kira, am I right?"

"You're—" Light began, but he stopped midsentence, his eyes growing wide as a voice issued from the other room whose door stood ajar, the room from which Light had come. It wasn't very loud, but loud enough to be heard in the silence of the sitting room.

"L, this is Near. L, are you there?" The voice demanded from afar, the speakers giving the voice a tinny sound. "I will try contacting you at a later time." It said after a moment, then came a faint clicking noise, and the sound of silence. The tension in the air was so thick that it was almost tangible, as everyone's eyes shifted this way and that, but not daring to meet the gaze of another.

"Oops, s-sorry, Light…I thought I closed the door like you told me, but it must have opened somehow." Matsuda said, no smile on his face this time, only an expression of worry.

_Don't apologize to me, you idiot! You've pretty much just admitted to this girl that I am L!_ Light screamed in his head, glaring at Matsuda with intense anger.

"Maybe we should get going…" Misa suggested nervously, standing and tugging at Evie's shirt as she watched Light.

"Sure, alright," Evie said, standing up, "Well, it was nice to meet all of you! Oh, Light, if you wouldn't mind, could I have a quick word with you, please?" She asked, smiling slightly at Light, who nodded and stood, leading her over to another door and opening it for her.

"What is it?" He asked, closing the door and turning to face Evie.

"I just wanted to let you know…that your secret is safe with me." Evie replied, looking up at Light and staring him straight in the eyes. They held each other's gaze for a moment, neither blinking nor moving a muscle.

"That's all." Evie said, turning and opening the door, leaving Light standing there to contemplate his options.

"I'm sorry everyone was so uptight today, they're usually more fun than that." Misa explained as she walked with Evie to the train station.

"That's okay, I'm just glad I got to meet them all. They seem very nice, hopefully I'll be able to get to know them some more in the future!" Evie said with false enthusiasm.

"Yeah, but maybe next time I'll listen to Mogi and give them a heads up." Misa laughed.

"Well, thanks for everything, Misa! I'll call you soon and maybe we can have lunch together or something, okay?" Evie said, stepping onto the train that would take her back to within walking distance of Mello and Matt's apartment.

"Sure, that'd be great! Bye bye, Chloe!" She responded as the doors of the train shut and Evie went to find an open seat.

The sun was setting, painting the sky with vibrant pinks, purples, and oranges, as the train arrived at its final destination. Evie stepped off and began to walk the 15 minutes back to the apartment. She stopped in the store where she worked, buying some chocolate for Mello and a couple packs of cigarettes for Matt and telling her manager that she would only be able to work a couple days a week from now on. She had thought about this on the train and figured it was for the best since she planned to contribute as much as she could to the investigation and would need sufficient time to do so.

She finally reached the apartment building and ascended the stairs to the second floor, knocking tiredly on the door, the bag of chocolate and cigarettes weighing heavily in her hand.

"Evie…" Mello said, stepping aside and letting her enter, then closing and locking the door behind her.

"Hey, Mello!" Evie said, setting the bag down on the table, "I bought you some chocolate since I've been stealing most of yours lately. Plus, I have good news! It's about the meeting with Misa. But would you mind if I showered first and stuff before telling you the story, I'm really tired. Pretending to be a Misa fan is tough work…I don't know how people do it for real." She said, giving Mello a weak smile.

"That's fine." He said, digging out one of the chocolate bars from the bag and unwrapping it as he sat on the couch.

Evie showered and dressed in her pajamas, pink short shorts and a black camisole, before rejoining Mello in the sitting room.

"So where's Matt? I was hoping I'd only have to tell the story once." Evie said as she sat down on the couch next to Mello.

"He's doing something for the investigation. He won't be back until later, so you can just tell me for now." He replied, biting off a corner of the chocolate bar.

Evie proceeded to tell him the story, from the meeting in Sunny Side Café, to the mess in the Task Force Headquarters.

"So she actually took you to their HQ?" Mello asked, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Yeah, isn't that crazy? But while I was there, I started asking Light Yagami all these questions, and we were interrupted by Near, who was asking for L. Then Matsuda apologized to Light for leaving the door open, which pretty much confirms that Light is the second L." Evie said in an accomplished voice. She was proud of what she had discovered today, and was sure that Mello was proud too.

"So you were in contact with Light Yagami?" Mello asked, lowering his chocolate and looking at Evie.

"Yes…why?" Evie questioned, catching the hint of distress in his voice.

"Well, I've been almost one hundred percent certain that Light Yagami was L, and you just confirmed my suspicion. But…I'm just as certain that he's also…Kira." Mello finished.

"…What? What do you mean?" Evie asked, astounded at what she was hearing.

"I mean that you may have just been in contact with not only L, but Kira too."

"How could you not have told me this?! You never even mentioned Light's name!" Evie said, her voice full of surprise and confusion as she stood up from the couch, staring dumbstruck at Mello.

"Look, I honestly didn't think you'd get this far, that's why I didn't tell you." He explained, meeting Evie's hurt glare as he too stood up.

" 'Didn't think I'd get this far', what the hell does that mean? So you underestimated me, you thought I'd fail?"

"That's not it, Evie…" Mello said, taking a step closer to her.

"Then what? You didn't trust me, you didn't think I'd keep my word and help you? Is that it?! I thought I was going to help you with the investigation, but I can't do that if you don't even tell me anything!" She yelled, advancing toward Mello and shoving him lightly out of anger.

"Evie, stop—"

"Don't you realize that what you did has put me in danger?! If I had known that you were so certain that Light was L and also Kira, I would have handled the situation completely differently!" She screamed, pushing Mello again.

"Wait a sec—"

"You could have gotten me killed! Kira has seen my face, everyone at that place has seen me, all they need is my name and I'm dead! Don't you get it, Mello? I trusted you and risked my life for you, did everything you told me, and you send me off to be murdered all in hopes of obtaining a little bit of evidence!"

"STOP!" Mello shouted, quickly closing the distance between them and grabbing her wrists before she could push him again. He held her wrists tightly against the wall behind her, their faces only inches apart as Mello looked down at her angrily. She strained against him, but it was useless as he was much stronger than her.

"Let me go!" She demanded, angry tears slipping down her cheeks as she avoided looking up at Mello.

"Listen to me, Evie." He said, his voice low and dangerous as he spoke.

She could feel his warm breath on her neck, feel the cool steel of his gun pressing against her exposed lower stomach as a shiver ran up her spine. She forced herself to look up at him, another tear slipping down her cheek.

"I never meant to hurt you, ok? I never told you about Light because I never thought that you would get as far as meeting him in person, I thought that maybe we would catch him before you even needed to know about him." Mello explained, still holding Evie's wrists securely against the wall.

"But then, why even include me in the investigation if you didn't plan to use any of the information that I was supposed to collect?" She asked quietly.

"Look, I made a mistake. It won't happen again, and this time I'll tell you everything we know."

"I'm not some tool, you can't just use me however you want, Mello." She replied, looking away from him.

"I know that." He said, staring down at her as he felt her shaking slightly beneath him.

He slowly released her wrists, trailing his hands down her arms and onto her back as he pulled her into an embrace.

"I just…" she began, shaking her head and pulling slightly away from Mello, "I just wanna be alone right now." She said as she stepped backward, breaking the embrace and walking into Matt's room, closing the door softly behind her, leaving Mello alone in the dark.

* * *

Psh…if Mello hugged ME there's no way in hell I'd object! ; D So anyway, wow, that's my longest chapter yet! I'm so tired right now though…it's like after 2 in the morning and I'm ready for sleep! Hehe. Well, I thought this chapter was interesting. It's hard to write Light because he's always so careful that I was finding it difficult to think of how he might slip up and let something important out…in which case I turned to Matsuda! Good ol' Matsuda forgetting to close the door all the way! Lol. Anyways, please give me some reviews and let me know what you think. I luuurve feedback. :P 


	7. Anxiety

Alright, here's chapter seven! Sorry for the slight delay in uploading this chapter but I had to work a lot in the last few days so I didn't get much of a chance to write. But, here it is, so I hope you enjoy it :D

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or its characters.

* * *

Evie sat alone on Matt's bed, hugging her knees to her chest and staring into the darkness. Her mind replayed everything that had happened that day, concluding with the argument between her and Mello. She knew why he had withheld information from her, she knew exactly why, but that did not make it right. 

_Mello was worried about me…_ she thought to herself, resting her chin on her knees. _He was just trying to protect me, right? That's why he didn't tell me about Light and his other suspicions, because he didn't want me to get carried away and end up getting caught or something. Although…his reasoning doesn't exactly make sense, his intentions were good. And I treated him horribly, accusing him of practically sending me to my death…_ Evie sighed inwardly, half of her wanted to forgive him, while the other half was still seething with anger.

She sat there a while longer, contemplating everything and trying to figure it all out. After some time, she had made up her mind and climbed off the bed, walking slowly over to the closed door and turning the handle. She made her way into the sitting room, her eyes well adjusted to the darkness, as she spotted Mello sitting on the couch, his elbows resting on his knees as his head hung forward, his hair obscuring his face. The sight of him looking so downcast, so defeated, pulled at Evie's emotions as she stood there for a moment, collecting herself.

She stepped forward, a floorboard creaking underfoot and catching Mello's attention. He turned to look in her direction, meeting her eyes and looking slowly away again, not saying a word. Evie hesitated, but continued to walk over to him, standing in front of him for a moment before kneeling on the floor next to him. She rested her head against his leg, holding one of his hands in hers and weaving their fingers together.

"Mello…" She said softly, closing her eyes, "Thank you."

She did not see the look of surprise evident on Mello's face as he lifted his head to look at her, his eyes wide as he contemplated the girl that sat before him.

_Evie…_

A small fragment of sunlight that shone through the tattered window shades danced and flickered across Mello's face as he grudgingly opened his eyes. He turned his gaze toward Evie, who still lay asleep, her arm draped over Mello's stomach and her head resting on his chest, rising and falling in rhythm with his breathing. He smiled down at her as she stirred slightly, opening her eyes slowly and turning to look up at him.

"…Mello, why are you smiling?" She asked tiredly.

"Just thinking about something." He replied, leaning over and grabbing a chocolate bar from the table.

"You know what," Evie said, sitting up and eyeing his chocolate thoughtfully, "I don't have to work today, so I'm going to make you a real meal. Matt too, of course. So what do you like? Gimme some suggestions."

"I don't know…surprise me." He said, breaking off another section of chocolate.

"Hmm…alright! I've got just the thing!" She exclaimed happily, standing up and heading toward the bathroom to get dressed, leaving Mello to enjoy his chocolate in peace.

* * *

Light Yagami sat alone at the desk in the Task Force HQ, the electric glow from the surrounding monitors casting eerie shadows across his face. He had not slept at all the previous night as his encounter with Evie had greatly disturbed him. 

_There's just something about that girl_. He thought to himself, frustrated. _There's more to her than meets the eye, I'm sure of it. Her sudden friendship with Misa, her prying questions, and the way she looked at me…there was something about the way she looked at me that reminded me exactly of…L. I'm almost certain that she already knew I was the second L, judging by the way she was questioning me and how she responded when Near tried to contact me. Near…perhaps she's working for Near, spying on me! No…she was too straightforward, plus Near already has Aizawa watching me…_

"Damnit!" Light exclaimed loudly, slamming his fist onto the desk in anger.

_Well, I don't know who she's working for, but she can't remain alive. Killing her will be of no consequence to me, as no one from the Task Force will find out about her death. The only one who would know would be Misa…but it wouldn't be hard to shut her up. It's the only way…_

One, two, three, four pushes on the small dial on the side of Light's watch and the hidden compartment sprang open, revealing the scrap of Death Note folded neatly inside. Light looked around, and seeing that he was very much alone, he picked up a pen from the desk and in his neat and precise script, he wrote Evie's name on the paper: Chloe Young.

* * *

"Well, I'm off to the store then!" Evie said, immerging from the bathroom, dressed and ready for the day. 

"Do you want a ride?" Mello questioned, not bothering to look at her but concentrating wholly on his chocolate.

"No, I should be fine, but thanks anyway." She said, walking over to the door and slipping her shoes on. She straightened up and made to reach for the doorknob, "I won't be gone too long, so just tell Matt I said—"

The door swung open quickly, hitting Evie hard in the back of her head as she stumbled forward, grasping her head in her hands.

"Evie!? Oh shit, I'm so sorry! Are you alright?" Matt asked, concern evident on his face as he walked over the threshold and approached Evie.

"…dumbass…" Mello said under his breath as he watched the scene.

"Yeah, I'm fine…" Evie responded, rubbing the back of her head gingerly.

"You sure?" Matt questioned, looking at her skeptically.

"Uh huh, it's okay…no problem! See," She said, smiling happily at him, "I'm just fine!"

"If you say so. Sorry again…what were you doin' standing in front of the door anyway?"

"I was just on my way to the store, actually. I'm going to make dinner for you and Mello tonight! Did you want anything in particular?"

"Nah, I'm fine with whatever." Matt responded, lighting up a cigarette and shrugging.

"Okay. Well, I'll be back later! Bye!" Evie replied as she walked out of the apartment and headed for the grocery store.

Evie walked along the street, humming a sad song and watching the clouds roll by. It was a breezy day, one of those strange, unsettled types of days that could change from sunny to rainy in the blink of an eye. For now, it was sunny, and Evie enjoyed the walk, as it often helped her think.

_Surely Light is suspicious of me, but if he really is Kira…will he go as far as to try to kill me? And if he does…how long will he wait to do it? Mello said that he believes the Death Note isn't in Light's hands anymore, so does that mean he doesn't have to power to kill any longer? Does that mean that I'm safe for the moment, or does he perhaps have another way to kill?_

Evie heaved a sigh as she continued to ask herself questions that she knew she didn't have the answer to, until she finally reached the grocery store, at which point she turned her thoughts to the delicious meal she was going to prepare. She weaved her way through each aisle, collecting the ingredients she would need as well as some other necessary kitchen utilities that she was sure Mello and Matt didn't own. When she had finally finished her shopping, she paid for her groceries and walked outside. The weather, it seemed, had taken a slight turn for the worse as dark clouds had begun rolling in, blotting out the sun as they filled the sky. Evie looked up at the overcast sky and decided it would be best to not delay her walk back.

* * *

Misa's cell phone rang loudly, blaring out a popular song, as she ran over to it to see who was calling. 

"Light!" She shouted gleefully, grabbing her phone and flipping it open. "Light! Did you call Misa because you miss her?" Misa asked him excitedly.

"Misa, I need you to do me a favor." Light said, ignoring her question.

"Okay! I'll do anything for you, just say the word!" She exclaimed, blinded by her love.

"I need you to call your friend Chloe, but don't tell her that I told you to call, do you understand?"

"What do you want me to talk to her about?" Misa asked, puzzled.

"It doesn't matter, just don't tell her you called on my request. When you're done talking to her or if she doesn't answer, either way I want you to call me back, okay?" He asked, trying to put it simply.

"Sure, Light! I'll call you back then, bye bye!"

Light disconnected the call and set the phone down, thinking.

* * *

Evie ran into the apartment building just as large, heavy drops of rain began to pelt the ground. She walked up the stairs, her arms laden down with grocery bags, as she knocked feebly on the door and waited for someone to come. 

"Hey guys!" She greeted them, as Matt opened the door, "I just made it, it started to rain right when I got here. Lucky, huh?" She said, walking inside and into the tiny, extremely unused kitchen, where she set her bags down on the small counter and began to unpack them.

"So what are you making?" Mello asked Evie from the other room.

"It's going to be a surprise! You'll just have to wait and see…" She replied as she rolled up her sleeves and began to cook.

She was right in the middle of chopping the last few ingredients and adding them to the steaming pot on the stove when her cell phone began to ring. She walked over to the table and picked it up carefully, trying to touch it as little as possible as her hands were covered in bits of vegetable.

"Hello?"

"Chloe, its Misa!"

"Oh hi Misa!" Evie exclaimed, switching into her 'I'm a happy Misa Misa fan' mode.

"I just wanted to call and talk for awhile! So what have you—"

"Misa, I'm actually kind of busy right now. Can I maybe call you back later?" Evie said, trying to sound regretful.

"Um, sure! That's fine, I'll just talk to you later than! Bye bye!"

"Bye, sorry." Evie apologized again, setting her phone delicately back onto the counter as she returned to her work.

While the food cooked, Evie played video games with Matt, even Mello joined in with them this time, teaming up with Evie, saying that it was no fun watching a one-sided battle. And as the smells of Evie's delicious dinner began to fill the apartment, she stood up and went to check on it.

"Alright guys, it's done!" She called, pulling three bowls and plates from the almost empty cupboard and dusting them off.

She returned to the other room, carrying a tray heavy with food, and set it down upon the little table in the center of the room. She gave each of them a bowl and a plate of buttered bread as she sat down to enjoy the meal.

"Beef stew?" Matt questioned as he picked up his spoon and examined the contents of the bowl.

"Yup!" Evie replied, watching him closely.

"I love beef stew!" He said, digging in and picking up a piece of bread. Evie laughed quietly.

"I remembered that you and Mello always used to love it when we had stew for dinner at Wammy's, so I figured I'd make some." She explained, as she also took a bite of bread.

She looked over at Mello, who had nearly eaten all of his stew already, as she announced brightly, looking pointedly in Mello's direction, "Save room for dessert…I made chocolate cake!"

* * *

Light sat at the desk again, his hand held to his face in a gesture of deep contemplation. The phone rang shrilly, shaking him out of his thoughts as he saw that it was Misa and answered it. 

"Liiiiiight, its Misa!"

"Did you call her?"

"Uh huh, and I didn't mention you at all, just like you told me!" She said, looking for praise, but received none as Light continued.

"So she answered the phone?"

"Yes."

"And you're certain it was her, you're certain it was Chloe?" Light pressed, feeling a small sense of anxiety in the pit of his stomach.

"Yup, I'm positive! Why? Is something wrong, Light?" Misa asked, curious.

"No, it's nothing, Misa. Don't tell anyone about this, alright? I've got to go now."

"Okay, bye bye Light!"

Light stood up, unnerved, staring down at the desk as his mind raced.

_She should be dead by now. I wrote down her name, making sure to include all possible spellings, and the cause of death was not impossible, just a simple traffic accident. She should have died at 1:13 this afternoon, it's now almost three o'clock. Everything that I wrote was feasible, so why…? Her name! Chloe Young must not be her real name! That's the only possible explanation. But if she introduced herself to everyone here, including Misa, using a false name, then that must mean that she was suspicious of the Task Force, Misa, and myself before ever meeting us. If she was already suspicious of me and Misa, then she has to have gotten her information from somewhere. The only people who know of me and Misa's confinement, as well as the suspicions against us and our involvement in the Kira case, are the Task Force members, and I'm sure that Near knows as well, perhaps even Mello. But if there is another group who is tracking down Kira, then it's possible that they could have obtained this information as well. Damnit! Who is this girl?!_

Light picked up the phone, dialing a number and holding the receiver to his ear.

"Ide speaking." The voice on the other end of the line answered.

"Ide, this is Light. I have a new assignment for you…"

* * *

Alright guys, so there's chapter seven! Phew, I hope you enjoyed it! Again, sorry for the little delay in getting this chapter up, but like I said I was working a lot…eleven hour shifts are NOT fun! x.x Anyway, next chapter will be up soon. Pretty please give me some reviews because I'd really like to know what you think about the story so far, okay? 


	8. Teru and the Tail

Hey everyone, I'm back! Sorry, it's been a couple days since my last update but I've been busy with…life. Plus, I was having some trouble deciding which way I wanted to take this story. I had about 3 interesting plotlines, so I had to decide on one, which I have…I think. So now that I have the plot figured out, it'll be easier to write. Anyway, I'm sure you don't care about all of that, so please read on!

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or its characters.

* * *

Evie awoke early the next morning to the sound of her phone's alarm clock and the gentle patter of rain against the window. She got up quickly from the armchair in which she had slept and shut the alarm off so as not to wake up Matt and Mello. She got dressed for work as quietly as possible, and grabbing her purse from the table, she smiled contently at her two friends as they slept, then walked out the door.

As much as Evie loved the rain, she didn't like having to walk to work in it, as each minute she spent in it she grew colder and wetter, until she finally reached the store. Evie glanced at the small parking lot on the side of the store and saw that it was empty except for two cars, one she recognized as her boss's, the other was black, it's windows tinted pitch-dark.

"A customer already?" She grumbled to herself as she ran inside, welcoming the warmth. She looked quickly around the store, seeing no one. She shrugged to herself as she walked into the bathroom, drying her arms and face off with paper towels, her clothes, however, were soaking wet. She sighed heavily and made her way out of the bathroom and took a seat behind the register, shivering slightly as she waited for the arrival of a customer.

Throughout the entire course of her seven hour shift, only about 20 people came in, and Evie helped them willingly, grateful that she had something to do besides stare outside at the steady rain. But as three o' clock rolled around, Evie was more than ready to go home, even though it meant she had to walk back in the rain. She said goodbye to her boss and stepped outside, walking quickly back to the apartment. The black car that had been in the parking lot earlier was still there, Evie noticed, but she didn't give it much thought as she was concentrating on getting home as fast as possible.

Mello opened the door as a very wet and very cold Evie stepped inside, kicking off her shoes and setting down her purse.

"I'm gunna go shower." She said through chattering teeth as she headed for the bathroom and stripped off her clothes. The hot shower felt wonderful and she emerged feeling warm and rejuvenated. She put on her pajama shorts and a tank top, throwing on a big hooded sweatshirt over that for extra warmth as she walked back out to join Mello and Matt.

"Why the hell didn't you tell one of us that you worked today? We would have given you a ride, it's pouring outside." Mello asked, a little upset as he took a bite of chocolate.

"Well…you were both sleeping and I didn't want to wake you up. It's okay, a little rain never hurt anybody." Evie explained, picking up one of Mello's chocolate bars from the table and unwrapping it as she sat down next to Mello. "So what have you guys been up to?" She inquired, changing the subject.

"A lot, actually," Matt said, his cigarette moving as he spoke, his face glowing in the soft light of his handheld game.

"Really? Like what, fill me in!" Evie exclaimed, hoping they had made headway in the Kira case.

"We think we found out who Light gave the Death Note to." Mello said flatly, looking at Evie, who popped another square of chocolate into her mouth.

"That's great, you guys! So how certain are you that this guy has the Death Note now?"

"We're almost positive that he's got it. According to one of our informants, Near has come to the same conclusion as well." Matt answered, the ash falling from his cigarette as he talked.

"You guys have informants connected to Near? Who?" Evie pressed, knowing that Mello wouldn't deny her information after their little episode a couple days ago.

"Her name is Halle Lidner, she works with the SPK but has been giving us information for awhile." Mello answered.

"Halle Lidner…wait, isn't she the former CIA agent that is one of Kiyomi Takada's body guards now? I heard about her on the news." Evie said, putting the two together.

"Yeah, that's her. She's one of our best sources of inside information regarding Near and his plans."

"I see. So how did you establish a connection with her?"

"That's a long story, but she's been keeping an eye on Takada and told us that Light and Takada had a private meeting the other night. Most likely to discuss Kira, as Takada is Kira's new spokesperson." Mello finished, biting off more chocolate.

"Interesting. So anyway, who's the guy you believe possesses the notebook right now?" Evie asked, returning to the original topic.

"His name is Teru Mikami, a known Kira supporter. Other than that, we don't know much else about him."

Evie didn't respond immediately, instead, she thought for a moment, taking a delicate bite of chocolate and chewing it slowly.

"…You want me to get close to Teru Mikami, don't you?" She inquired hesitantly, looking from Mello to Matt and waiting for an answer.

"No, it's way too dangerous. I don't expect you to do that." Mello said calmly, putting his feet up on the table.

"Yeah, Evie. Mikami's gunna have his guard up now that he's doing Kira's dirty work, it would be too risky." Matt chimed in, looking up momentarily from his game.

"But you both want me to, right? I mean, the SPK has got that Halle Lidner woman watching Takada, it would only make sense to have me get close to Teru Mikami."

"No, Evie." Mello replied bluntly, giving her a warning glance.

"I can do it! C'mon, you guys let me join in on this investigation so that I could help, not sit around and do nothing. I'll be really careful, okay?" Evie begged, staring hopefully at Mello, her eyes alight with anticipation.

"Fine, but listen to me, Evie, if he begins to suspect you even a little bit, you have to get the hell out of there, understand? He's got the eyes, the Shinigami Eyes, so he'll be able to see your real name and can kill you in an instant, there's no point in using an alias with him."

"He has the eyes?" Evie questioned, but pushed all negative thoughts from her mind as she exclaimed, "Don't worry! I'll be really careful and I'll think of a perfect story! Leave it to me!"

Mello looked at her, smiling happily at him, and wondered if he had made the right decision.

* * *

"Light, this is Ide. I've been following the girl as you requested, but she hasn't done anything out of the ordinary yet. I'm sitting outside her apartment building right now." Ide said, looking out the window of the black car and watching the entrance of the old apartment.

"What have you found out so far?" Light asked, sitting at his desk.

"Well, she seems to live in a rundown apartment, and she walked to work this morning, worked for seven hours, then walked back home. I haven't seen anyone else come in or out with her yet, so she probably lives alone, but I'll keep watching. To me, she seems like a normal girl, I mean, she's probably just a poor college student or something." Ide offered.

"That may be, but I want you to keep watching her. She may be aware that we're tailing her and she just hasn't given anything away yet."

"Alright, I'll keep following her and let you know if anything happens. But to be honest with you, Light, I don't think you have any reason to be suspicious of her."

"I have my reasons, Ide. Just keep your eyes open." Light said, frustrated, as he ended the call.

_It's not unusual that she hasn't done anything suspicious yet, after all, it's only Ide's first day following her. However, if she is investigating the Kira case, it's not like she's going to do so while walking down the street…she's going to do it inside the apartment. But there's no way to put a bug near her without either making her suspicious or without her finding outt. I suppose I'll just have to wait and see if she makes a bold move and does something in the open. I mean, if she was brave enough to befriend Misa just to get to me, then perhaps she will make another attempt with someone else close to me. That will be the opportune moment… _Light thought, laughing quietly to himself. Somehow, he had a feeling that luck would be on his side.

* * *

It was nearing eleven o'clock at night, but Evie, Mello, and Matt were still wide awake, discussing Kira and the possible dangers that Evie may face when trying to get close to him.

"Mikami goes to the gym every Thursday and Sunday from 9 PM to 10 PM, I think this would be your best chance to talk with him." Mello stated, finishing off yet another bar of chocolate and tossing the wrapper aside.

"Okay, and I've already got a story lined up, I'm sure I'll be able to win him over!" Evie said with enthusiasm.

"Heh…you could probably win any guy over." Matt declared, grinning, a cigarette dangling precariously from his lips as he looked at Evie.

"Hah, yeah right. But thanks anyway, Matt." Evie said, shrugging off the compliment and giving Matt a teasing smile.

"Well, if you're going to be ready, you can try to meet Mikami tomorrow, 'cause it'll be Sunday. If not, you can wait until Thursday." Mello interjected, keeping them on topic.

"No, I'll definitely be ready tomorrow. If I have all week to sit around and think about it, I'll just get more nervous." Evie replied. "But enough talk about Kira and Teru, alright? We've been at it since six o'clock, and I'm well prepared for tomorrow, so let's just play some games or something." She said, climbing off the couch and onto the floor and starting up the game console, handing a controller to Matt and Mello and taking one for herself.

They played games for a long time, enjoying each other's company and having a few good laughs at Evie's video game skills…or lack thereof. But as one o'clock came and went, the three grew steadily more tired, until they gave up their game in favor of sleep.

"You know…it's amazing that you still suck at these games even though we've played them almost every night." Matt said to Evie as he stood up and stretched. Evie followed suit, standing up and facing Matt, her hands on her hips and a small frown on her lips.

"Hey, I've gotten a lot better since I first played! You're just getting nervous 'cause you're afraid I'm going to beat you soon!" She said defiantly as she looked up at Matt.

He laughed softly and cocked his head to the side, looking at Evie.

"You're cute when you get angry, you know?" He said, as he ruffled her hair and turned to walk into his bedroom, closing the door quietly and leaving Evie with a slightly puzzled look on her face.

Mello stood too, walking over to the couch and laying down on it, his hands behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. Evie looked at him and contemplated him for a moment. He had changed a lot compared to the boy she had known at Wammy's House. He was much taller now, still lean, but strong and with the same temper as always. The scar on his face suited him, Evie thought, as did the more untidy hair style he had now. But his desire to be number one had not faded, nor did the passion with which he approached every situation. It was this passion that had drawn Evie to him when they were younger.

She remembered it vividly, as though it had happened only days ago. She had been at Wammy's since she was an infant, her parents had died in a car accident and she had had no siblings. She grew up surrounded by gifted children, each excelling in different areas, some in math, others art, some science, or music, or literature. Evie was gifted in many areas, so she fit in well with most of the other children. She was about 6 or 7 years old when Mello came to Wammy's. He was a fairly quiet boy, but always at the top of his class…until Near arrived shortly after Mello. Near surpassed Mello, and Evie watched as Mello did his hardest to outdo Near, studying for hours on end, while Near never studied at all. One day, each student had to present an important project they had created, and Evie watched as the students huddled around Near, fascinated by his project, while Mello sat alone at his desk, his own elaborate project sat before him, unappreciated. Evie had watched Mello assemble the project for the past few days, putting hours of work into it, driven by his passion and desire to beat Near. Later that day, Evie approached Mello, "I liked your project better than Near's, I thought it was very interesting and I could tell you worked really hard on it! My name is Evie, by the way, you're Mello, right? We can be friends, okay?" Evie said to him, giving him a warm smile and continuing on about how she liked his project while Mello stared at her blankly. She was the very first person to not glorify Near, the very first person to give him credit and to say that he was better than Near. He loved her for that, and soon after they became close friends, studying and working together. It was through Mello that Evie had met Matt, and the three of them were inseparable, spending all of their time together. But when L died, Evie had been crushed to hear that Mello was leaving Wammy's, and she begged him to stay, but his passion drove him on to catch Kira, to surpass Near once and for all. Matt left Wammy's soon after Mello did, leaving Evie alone. Whether it was fate or just luck that had brought them all together again, Evie was not sure, but she enjoyed every minute she spent with them.

"What the hell are you standing there for?" Mello asked, his voice shaking Evie out of her memories as she looked at Mello, who was staring at her curiously.

"I was just…thinking about how I met you," Evie said, walking over to the couch and sitting on the edge of it at Mello's side, "Do you remember?"

"Yeah…" He replied, and she could tell as she looked at him that he was recalling the same memories that she had only moments ago. "Evie…" He began, snapping out of his thoughts as he started intently at her, "Promise me you'll be careful when you meet Mikami."

She gave him a small smile and lay down next to him on the couch, resting her head on his chest and listening to the rhythm of his heart.

"I'll try, but I'm not going to make a promise that I'm not sure I can keep." She said softly, but with a hint of playfulness in her voice.

"I thought you'd say something like that, you're as stubborn as ever." Mello replied, grinning slightly as he closed his eyes, taking comfort from the feeling of Evie's warm body next to his. But something in the back of his mind was keeping him from sleep as he stared at the dark ceiling, listening to the rain on the window and thinking of what tomorrow would bring.

* * *

Omgiwantsomecookies! Don't cookies sound good right now? Whenever I write about Mello eating chocolate, it always makes me want some. But then I get distracted by my story and keep writing. :P Anywhos…what did you think of this chapter? So Evie is going to have to earn the trust of the crazy-psychopathic-'sakujo'ing-Kira-Lover Teru Mikami…that should be interesting. I've always thought Teru was an interesting character…to say the least. Lol. But yeah, I only have two reviews (not that I'm not grateful for those!!) but I would _really _appreciate some more! Even a simple "Like it." would be greatly appreciated! I just wanna know what you guys are thinking about the story so far, okay? So please find it in your hearts to leave me a review! Thanks and the next chappie should be up pretty quick. Until then, ciao and much love! 


	9. Predator, Prey

Okay, so here's chapter nine. Pretty lengthy, I think so ummmm….enjoy. : )

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or its characters.

* * *

Evie yawned as she sat curled up on the couch, her head propped up against her hand as she listened to Mello and Matt discussing Evie's encounter with Teru Mikami tonight.

"Don't you guys ever talk about anything else besides Kira?" Evie asked, bored. It was too early in the morning and her attention span couldn't take hour long discussions about the same thing.

"You should be paying attention, you're the one who has to deal with Mikami, not us." Mello warned, eating his breakfast (a chocolate bar, of course).

"I know I am, but I've already told you guys that I have my story all lined up. Plus, we've already gone over Teru's information a million times, I'll be fine." She retorted, standing up and walking over to the window to look outside.

It was bright and sunny today, but evidence of yesterday's rainy weather still remained in the large puddles that spotted the ground. Evie began to turn away from the window, when her eye caught something that made her turn back quickly. It was a black car with tinted windows, the exact same one that had been in the store parking lot. She stared uneasily at it, trying to see if there was someone inside or not, but the pitch-black windows hid them from view.

_Maybe I should tell Mello and Matt about the car. I mean, it's more than a little suspicious that it was at the store all day, now it's here. No, if I tell them, they're just going to get worried and they might not let me continue on with the investigation. I'll just keep watching…who knows, maybe it's just a coincidence? _Evie thought to herself as she took one last look at the car and turned away, walking over to an armchair and sitting down, thinking.

"Something wrong?" Matt asked Evie as he fished a cigarette out of one of the boxes.

"Huh? Oh…no, I was just…just going over what I'm going to say to Teru, that's all."

"So you suddenly decided to take our advice and be serious about this?" Matt continued, smiling jokingly at her.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Evie replied, forcing out a carefree laugh as she continued to contemplate the car.

"Well, I'm going out for a couple hours, but I'll be back before you leave." Mello said, standing up, grabbing his helmet and heading for the door.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Evie asked, jumping up and looking at Mello nervously.

"I said I'm going out, just doing a couple things for the investigation. Why?" Mello inquired, taking note of Evie's somewhat frantic behavior.

"Um, well…"

_Crap! How am I supposed to tell him to not go out the front door because someone might be watching?! I can't tell him about the car, that's out of the question…um… _

Mello squinted one eye suspiciously at Evie as she stood there thinking.

"It's just that…I thought you might like to know that the front entrance is going to be roped off for a couple days because, um, they're doing some repair work. So you'll have to go out the back way." Evie stated, trying to make her voice sound confident, but even she knew her story was pitiful.

"Repair work? Evie, this whole damn place is about to fall down and they decide to do repair work on the front door?" Mello inquired, becoming more and more suspicious.

"Well, yeah. Look, that's just what the landlord told me yesterday when I walked in here yesterday after work. He said to use the back door until further notice, honestly! Beside, I don't see what the big deal is, your motorcycle is closer to the back anyway." Evie said, praying that Mello would stop being smart and just listen to her.

"Whatever." Mello replied, giving Evie one last doubtful look as he walked out and closed the door.

Evie waited for a minute or so, then sidled casually over to the window, looking down at the black car. After a few minutes, she didn't see Mello or his motorcycle and figured that he had actually listened to her and gone out the back. She let out a small sigh and went to sit in the chair, helping herself to some of Mello's precious chocolate.

"What was that all about?" Matt asked, making Evie jump slightly as she had nearly forgotten he was there after all the commotion.

"What was what about?" She said, feigning innocence as she took a careful bite of chocolate.

"Your little episode with Mello."

" 'Episode'? We didn't have an episode, I was just telling him what the landlord told me! I figured I'd save him the trouble walking all the way to the front just to find that it's closed." She shrugged, watching Matt as he played his game.

"Right, well, it was a pretty bad story." He responded, his eyes fixed on his game.

"I didn't make it up! You and Mello are just too suspicious, that's all."

They sat there in comfortable silence for awhile, Matt playing his game, Evie eating her chocolate.

"You sure you got everything figured out that you're going to tell Mikami tonight?" Matt asked her after some time.

"Yes…why?"

"Well, if the story you're going to tell him is as good as the one you just told Mello, then we won't wait up for you to get back tonight." Matt said, smiling at his own joke.

"As a matter of fact, my story is going to be perfect, you just wait! He's _not _going to kill me!" Evie assured him, upset at his rather mean remark.

"Uh huh, just be careful, alright?" He replied, the smile fading from his face as he spoke.

"I will be, don't worry." Evie said happily, walking over to the couch where Matt sat and taking a seat next to him. "So you were just hiding your concern for me behind your mean little Kira joke, weren't you?" She said in a sing-song voice as she looked up at him, leaning against his side, a sarcastic grin on her face.

"Yup, you got me there." He replied coolly, a swirl of smoke drifting lazily into the air from his lit cigarette.

The next few hours passed unceremoniously, with Mello returning from his outing and the three of them talking and playing games until late in the evening. It was around 7:30 when Evie stood up, announcing that she had to prepare for her meeting with Teru at 9:00.

"But you still have an hour and a half?" Matt said, watching her as she walked toward the bathroom.

"Yes, I know. But I have to look my best if I want to impress him, right? Plus, I have to pick out my outfit for the gym." She answered, reaching the bathroom and closing the door.

She reappeared in the sitting room an hour later, looking better than anyone would expect from someone on their way to a gym.

"You're going to work out in _that_?" Mello inquired, eyeing her rather short skirt, boots, and fashionable shirt and jacket.

"No, this is what I'm going to wear before and after I meet him, I've got my gym clothes in here." She said, indicating the small duffle bag that was slung over her shoulder. "And obviously, you guys can't drive me, so I'll be taking the train. Well, I'm off!" She smiled, walking over to the door and waving to the boys. Mello gave her a grim look while Matt offered her a lazy smile as she turned and walked out the door.

She took her own advice and went out the back way so as to avoid being seen by whoever was in the black car, though she had to pass by the front entrance to get to the station anyway. She walked at a brisk pace as she made her way to the train station. It was a little chilly, but still unusually warm for December as she boarded the train and took a seat near the door. The gym that Teru was a part of was on the other side of town in relation to Matt and Mello's apartment, so Evie had plenty of time to think things over as the train sped along the tracks.

When it reached its destination, Evie got off and observed that she was on the outskirts of the business district. Without hesitation she continued on foot to the gym, which was located in a hotel. The streets were pretty empty, but those who were out were either delinquents or business people getting off late from work. She received a few cat calls from a group of teenage boys as she quickened her pace and finally reached the hotel, walking inside and to the front desk, where she quickly registered to become a member of the gym and headed off to the locker rooms. It was after nine o'clock by now, and Evie changed hurriedly, not wanting to waste time. She slammed her locker shut, stopping for a moment in front of a mirror and checking herself over, then proceeding into the gym.

The gym was fairly large, and was completely unoccupied except for her and one other person: Teru Mikami. Evie took note of him, but kept walking as if she hadn't even seen him, heading over to a treadmill and stepping onto it. She walked and walked, all the while watching Teru out of the corner of her eye as he lifted weights. She waited for the perfect moment, then when she saw him looking at her, she looked up at him, then did an impressive fake double take, looking surprised. After a moment, she collected herself and offered him a shy smile before turning her eyes downward again, focusing on the treadmill. When it was nearing ten o'clock and Evie knew he would be leaving soon, she hopped off the treadmill and walked out of the gym, giving him another shy smile as she passed him by.

Once she was out of the gym, she quickly ran into the locker room and changed into her outfit from earlier, running a brush through her hair and making sure she looked perfect. She then gathered up her duffle bag, and walked out into the hotel lobby, where she stood near the doors and waited for him to come out. After a few minutes, she saw him round the corner, dressed in a dark suit and tie.

_He's actually pretty handsome…too bad he's Kira. _Evie thought to herself, amused, as she watched him approach.

Just as he was nearing her, she walked up to him, acting nervous.

"E-Excuse me…" She began, looking up at him. He stopped walking and looked down at her, his expression mostly unchanged save for a small look of curiosity that shone in his eyes. "I could be wrong, but…are you the one I always see on Sakura TV? You're always in the audience, showing your support for Kira, right?" She questioned, still gazing up at him.

"That's right, who are you?" He asked quietly.

"So it really is you?! I knew it! I'm a Kira supporter, too! But unfortunately, I've never been able to get tickets to any of the events, but I always watch them on TV, and I always see you! I really admire your dedication to Kira, I mean, you've showed up to give him your support so much, it's really inspiring!" Evie said earnestly, her eyes alight with passion as she stared up at Teru.

"Well, I do everything I can to support Kira," He said honestly, "What is your name?" He inquired, his voice softening a little as he looked down at her.

"Oh I'm sorry, I got so excited I forgot to introduce myself!" She said, giving a flustered laugh, "My name is Evie! I'm so glad to meet you!" It felt odd for her to introduce herself using her real name, as Matt and Mello were the only ones on earth who knew it.

_She isn't lying, Evie is her real name..._ Teru thought to himself, using his Shinigami Eyes and seeing her name and lifespan floating above her head. _That's good, because if she would have given me a false name, not knowing that I have the Shinigami Eyes, it would have meant that she may be a spy or she may suspect that I am doing Kira's work. But she gave her real name, which means she trusts me as a fellow Kira-supporter._

"It's nice to meet you, Evie. My name is Teru Mikami." He said, giving her a small smile.

"There's so much I'd like to talk to you about, Teru. You see, all of my friends abandoned me once they found out that I supported Kira, so it would be nice to be able to talk with someone about it! But I've probably already bothered you enough, I'm sorry." Evie said, looking slightly crestfallen. However, her act seemed to work as Teru shook his head slightly and responded.

"No, you haven't bothered me at all. I would enjoy discussing our views together and would like to hear what you think about Kira's work." He said gently.

"Really? But you must be busy, are you sure I wouldn't be interrupting anything?"

"Well, I have a lot of work to do tonight, but perhaps tomorrow or Tuesday?" Teru offered, subconsciously tightening his grip on his briefcase.

"Tomorrow would be better for me because I have to work on Tuesday. And I wouldn't want to be punished by Kira for not going to work when I'm perfectly able!" Evie exclaimed, trying to sound as sincere as possible.

"That's right, it seems you understand Kira's goals quite well. I'm really looking forward to talking with you more."

"Thank you, I'm looking forward to getting to know you better, too! I hope we can be good friends, Teru! Well, I should get going now and let you get to work." Evie said, giving him a kind smile.

"Do you live nearby?" Teru asked.

"Not really, it's about a 20 minute train ride back home, but sometimes I like to get away, you know?"

"The least I can do is walk you back to the train station. It's not safe for a pretty girl to be out alone this time of night." He said, leading the way toward the door, Evie turning and following behind him, caught slightly off guard.

"No, its okay, Teru, really! You don't need to do that, I'll be fine!"

"I insist, Evie." He said firmly, turning to face her.

_Wow…he really is cute! And a gentleman, too…it's kind of weird to think that he's the one with Kira's power right now…_Evie thought as she stared up at him.

"Thank you so much, I really appreciate it!" She said humbly, as he turned around and began to walk out, Evie walking next to him.

"So, I don't believe I've ever seen you here before…" Teru began, making light conversation as they walked together to the train station.

"Yeah, I used to come earlier in the day, but I've found that exercising at night helps to calm me down."

They continued to walk, conversing about little things, until they neared the station, the gang of boys that had cat called to Evie earlier were still there. They loitered just on the other side of the street, watching Evie and Teru as they walked by.

"Hey man, is she _your _bitch, you hittin' that? You're one lucky little man, ain't ya?!" One of the boys called out to Teru, eyeing Evie with lust. Evie watched Teru's reaction with interest as he gave the boys an evil glare, something dangerous flashed behind his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Teru!" Evie said, burying her face in her hands as she blushed with embarrassment.

"You have nothing to apologize for, Evie," He replied, still eyeing the boys maliciously before turning to look at Evie, giving her a compassionate smile. "It's scum like that that makes this world rotten and corrupt, but all that will change with Kira's judgment." He assured her, stopping in front of the station and turning to look at her.

Evie nodded in reply, her head still bowed in humiliation, a delicate blush colored her cheeks. After a moment, she looked up at Teru and gave him a kind smile.

"Thank you, Teru, for everything. I'll be looking forward to hearing from you tomorrow!" Evie said, meeting his gaze and holding it for a second before turning to board the train.

"Be careful going home." He replied, watching her until she stepped onto the train, then he turned and walked away, his thoughts still on Evie.

Evie sat on the train, thinking hard and replaying everything that had happened between her and Teru. She had made no mistakes and everything had gone according to her plan. She sighed quietly and looked around the train, which was nearly empty. One man who sat in the far corner looked oddly familiar, but Evie just couldn't put her finger on where she had seen him before. He was wearing a hat and large sunglasses, which, Evie thought, was quite odd considering it was dark outside.

_Wait a second…_She thought to herself, remembering something, _that guy was on the train I took coming here, too! I remember because I thought the exact same thing as I did now, that it was strange that he was wearing sunglasses at night. Is he following me? Or maybe I'm just getting ahead of myself and it's just a coincidence…but I don't know, perhaps he's the one with the black car and he really is tailing me! Is this Light Yagami's doing? Having someone watch me and make sure I don't do anything suspicious? Well, if so, then I'm screwed because as soon as he finds out that I just met with Teru Mikami his suspicion will be confirmed. No! I shouldn't think like that, it's just some stupid coincidence, I don't have anything to worry about…_

But despite Evie reassuring herself, she was still nervous as she climbed off the train and walked back to the apartment, using the front entrance this time. She walked up the stairs, constantly checking behind her to make sure no one was there, which there wasn't, and she knocked on the door, waiting for someone to come and open it.

"Hey Mello, Matt." She said, walking inside as Mello opened the door, shutting it behind her.

"Hey, welcome back. So how did it go with Mikami?" Matt asked her, the tip of his cigarette glowing red in the dim light of the room.

"Actually, it went really well! I'm meeting him tomorrow, which is when I plan to get some real evidence." She said, heading for the bathroom and changing into her pajamas then rejoining the two in the sitting room.

"So he didn't seem suspicious of you?" Mello pressed, snapping off a bit of chocolate with his teeth.

"No, in fact, I think he trusted me completely." Evie replied, looking proud.

Mello watched her, laughing happily at something Matt said, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen, and it was going to happen soon.

* * *

"Light, this is Ide. I have some interesting news for you." Ide reported, sitting in his car outside the apartment once again.

"What is it, Ide?" Light asked on the other line, hoping that this was going to be useful information.

"The girl left the apartment tonight and I followed her. She went inside a hotel, I believe she went to use the gym there, but she came back out with a guy that looks a lot like the man from Sakura TV. I managed to get a picture of him when they were walking out of the hotel, but it's kind of dark." Ide reported, uploading the picture from his small camera onto his laptop.

_The man from Sakura TV…it couldn't be…_

"Send me the picture and keep watching, Ide. You're doing great." Light said, ending the call and receiving an email moments later with the picture.

_It is him! It's Mikami! What is that damn girl doing meeting up with Mikami?! But, after all, this is exactly what I had been waiting for. This is the bold move I needed her to make, and now I'm certain…_

Light let out a dangerous laugh as he stared at the picture of Mikami, formulating a plan in his mind.

* * *

Alrighty people, there's chapterrrr…umm….nine! Chapter nine! Hehe…I may or may not have just forgotten what chapter I was writing. Anyway, teeeheee, Teru Mikami is smitten with Evie, how cute!...kind of. Next chapter will be the fateful (and much longer) meeting with Teru, where Mello's bad feeling will become a reality…OOoOoOO! That chapter will probably be up tomorrow, so that's happy. Also, REVIEW! Especially those of you who are faithful readers, pwetty pweez? Bye bye then! 


	10. Jeopardy

Hallo my wonderful readers! How goes it? Alright! Look! It's chapter TEN! Chapter ten is titled JEOPARDY…but not like the game show. :/ Be excited! (I dunno why…but just, do it.)! So yes…as I was saying…chapter ten has arrived full of wonderful goodness…I hope. Ummm…I haven't gotten many more reviews yet (but I did get one and it made me vair happy:D) but yes, I'm full of woe and despair…does my story really suck or do people just hate me? Or perhaps everyone is deathly afraid of the review button? I don't know. Okay…I know I always go on about reviews…and I used to hate reading stories where authors would beg for reviews…now I'm one of those authors. That's bad, isn't it? But now I understand them and their desperate need for feedback…especially since this is only my second fic and I'd like to know if I should even be wasting my time. ZOMGTHISAUTHORSNOTEISLONG! Sorry, sorry. Read chapter ten!

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or its characters.

* * *

Evie sighed quietly, grabbing her phone off the table next to Mello's gun and flipping it open to look at the time. It was 2:31 in the morning, and she still couldn't sleep, her mind was buzzing with everything that had happened in the past few days.

_It's hard to believe that only a couple weeks ago I was leading a normal life, working to earn money for college, living on my own. But now, so much has happened and my life has become so…exciting. I never thought I'd be chasing down Kira with my two best friends. I'm getting nervous though, the black car that's still parked outside, Light Yagami, Teru Mikami…everything. I want to do my best for Mello and for Matt…but if I mess up, they may end up getting caught or killed._ Evie thought, but scolded herself immediately for thinking that way. Her thoughts continued to run through her mind as she sat in the dark sitting room, Mello sprawled out next to her on the couch and Matt slumped over in the armchair, both sleeping soundly.

She watched them for a moment, the only two real friends she had ever had, so peaceful and content. She stood up silently, walking over to the window and looking out onto the parking lot. The black car still sat there, unmoved, and Evie stared at it for some time, her thoughts running away with her again. She looked up, met by her own reflection in the dark glass of the window, her green eyes were weary from not sleeping, her full lips shaped in a frown from hours of contemplation.

_This is ridiculous, if I don't get some sleep tonight then I'll be completely dead tomorrow. I have to be alert if I'm going to be with Teru. _She convinced herself, walking back over to the couch and sitting down gently, hugging her knees to her chest and staring at nothing in particular, hoping that sleep would claim her. After a few minutes, she grew tired of the silence, of waiting, and began to hum a tune quietly to herself. She didn't remember where she had learned the song, but she had sang it ever since she could remember, when she was lonely or sad, or simply to pass the time. It was a sad song, with a somber, yet strangely comforting melody, and as she continued to hum, she closed her eyes slowly and let the song bring her solace.

"…That song…" Began Mello, his voice quiet with lingering sleep. Evie's eyes shot open, turning to look at Mello, who had woken up and was now lazily pulling himself into a sitting position.

"I'm sorry, Mello, I didn't mean to wake you up!" Evie said apologetically, watching Mello.

"That song…you used to sing it when we were little, didn't you?" He asked, staring ahead, seemingly remembering the past.

Evie nodded slowly, blushing slightly, surprised that Mello would remember something like that from so long ago. "I…I'm sorry that I woke you up." She said again, hanging her head slightly.

"What's wrong?" Mello inquired, finally looking over at her.

"Nothing! Nothing's wrong, honest. I just…couldn't sleep, that's all. So I started humming because sometimes it helps make me tired." She explained, meeting his gaze.

He looked at her for a moment, then grinned slightly, shaking his head.

"You were never good at lying, Evie." He said.

"I…lying?...but…oh, fine! It's just that…I'm a little nervous about the thing with Mikami tonight." She replied, looking away, ashamed.

Mello said nothing, his face remained emotionless, but he took Evie gently by the shoulders, laying her down, her head on his lap as he looked down at her. There was something behind his eyes but Evie couldn't place it as she gazed up at him, smiling tiredly.

"I want to hear that song again." He demanded.

Evie obeyed, closing her eyes and humming the sad tune, loud enough for only Mello to hear, as she relaxed, falling into a deep, dreamless slumber.

"Damn…did I miss something?" Matt's voice asked amusedly, as Evie awoke hesitantly from her sleep. Matt stood in front of the couch, looking down at Evie and Mello with a devilish grin on his face. Evie was lying awkwardly across Mello's lap as he still slept in a sitting position. She felt herself blush under Matt's stare as she scrambled up and off of Mello, who was awakened by all the commotion.

"Heh, maybe I should start sleeping on the couch from now on. Mello, the armchair is all yours, buddy!" Matt continued, laughing lightly as Mello glared at him, standing up and snatching a chocolate bar from the table then walking off toward his rarely used bedroom. Evie wasn't certain, but she could have sworn that she saw a flash of jealousy pass across Matt's face, but it was gone in an instant.

"So when's your date with Psychopath?" Matt asked, turning toward Evie, who laughed.

"Um, not sure, actually. He's supposed to call me this evening." She answered, looking up at him from her spot on the couch.

"I'm surprised you're not already starting to get dressed up for him."

"What do you mean? It's only, what, like eleven o'clock?" She said, raising an eyebrow.

"Nah, it's actually almost three." Matt corrected her.

"Whaat? Three?! In the afternoon?!"

"Yup…as you'll notice, the sun is out. Therefore, it would be afternoon. Good to see that all those years at a school for the highly gifted has paid off." Matt said, giving her a lazy smile.

"Shuddup you." She replied, laughter in her voice as she stood up and walked away toward the bathroom.

She returned to the sitting room a couple hours later, showered, dressed, and looking more radiant than ever. Mello sat on the couch, doing something on the laptop, while Matt sat on the opposite end of the couch, playing a game and popping chips into his mouth at random moments.

"Wow, potato chips…? I was almost positive that you lived off your cigarettes." She mused, eyeing the bag of chips that lay next to Matt. She walked over to the armchair and sat down on it, tucking her feet under her and thinking.

After a moment, Evie's cell phone rang, disrupting the quiet of the room as she snatched it from the table and looked at the number. It was one she didn't recognize, so she figured it must be Teru.

"I think it's him you guys, be quiet, okay?" She warned before flipping her phone open and raising it to her ear. "Hello? This is Evie."

"Evie, it's Teru Mikami, I was calling to make some plans for this evening, if you're still able." Teru said on the other line.

"Yeah, I'd love to do something! What did you have in mind?" She questioned, forcing herself to sound excited.

"I was thinking, perhaps we could go somewhere for dinner?"

"Dinner would be great, what would you prefer, I'm up for anything." Evie offered, and within minutes they had decided upon a restaurant and a time, bidding each other goodbye until then.

"So what time you meeting him?" Mello asked, looking up from the laptop at Evie.

"In about an hour, actually. The restaurant we're going to is pretty fancy and expensive, I hope I'm dressed okay, I don't really have anything nicer." She thought aloud, looking down at her attire.

"You'll be fine, you look pretty nice to me." Mello replied, turning away as he said this.

"Really? Thanks!"

The remainder of their time together was spent goofing around, as Evie refused to talk about Kira issues before leaving, saying that it made her more nervous. When it was about 5:30, Evie announced reluctantly that she was going to go, standing up and walking over to the door.

"You sure you're alright? I mean, if you want one of us to go with you and stay near you guys…" Matt offered, cigarette moving as he spoke.

"No, I'll be fine, it's okay! Don't worry about me!" Evie replied, giving them both a confident smile, "Alright well, I should get going, bye!"

"Bye" Mello and Matt said in unison as they both watched her leave, staring at the door a moment longer after it closed. They both returned to their previous actions, Mello doing work on the laptop and Matt playing his handheld, neither said a word to the other as they were both consumed by their own thoughts.

Evie arrived rather quickly at the restaurant, perhaps it was just because she was nervous, but the train ride had seemed extremely short. She stood near the entrance of the restaurant waiting for Teru to arrive, as she was a little early. But she didn't have to wait long, minutes later Teru came into view, walking quickly down the street toward Evie.

"Hey, Teru! How are you?" Evie asked happily as he approached her.

"I'm doing well. Sorry I'm late, I was a little busy at work." He said, holding open the door as she walked into the restaurant.

"Oh, it's no problem, I wasn't waiting long at all!"

"That's good," He replied, then turned his attention to the hostess waiting to seat them, "I have reservations under the name 'Mikami'" Teru said.

"Ah yes, party of two. Right this way, please." The hostess said, checking a long list of names then leading them to a far corner of the restaurant where a small table waited, set for two. "There you are, your waiter will be right with you. Enjoy your meal."

After placing their orders, Teru took a drink of water and looked up at Evie.

"So, were you a Kira supporter from the very beginning?" He asked, his eyes fixed on Evie's.

"Well, to be perfectly honest, I was a little scared at first when Kira began judging people. I wasn't really sure what was going on or who to trust. But once I saw what Kira was doing and how the world was beginning to change, I began to support his ideas and actions." Evie answered, well prepared for such a question.

"I see. I think everyone was a little hesitant to trust Kira at first, but now those who oppose him are shrinking into the minority. People are becoming more aware of their actions, knowing that if they commit a crime, they will be judged. Soon, the world will be peaceful and free from violence and crime, it will be filled with only honest and just people." Teru said. Evie watched him as he spoke, he seemed so passionate about the subject that it was almost creepy.

"Yes, that would be wonderful, wouldn't it…a world without crime. You speak about Kira, about justice, with such emotion, it's pretty amazing. It makes me want to believe that the world will follow Kira's path and that we really can live in peace someday." Evie said, her acting flawless.

"What do you mean? The world is already changing."

"Yes, but…I don't know. I suppose I'm just so accustomed to disappointment that I have learned to not get my hopes up, you know?"

"Accustomed to disappointment? Why?" Teru inquired, intrigued as he gazed at Evie across the table.

"Well…my parents died in a car accident when I was only a baby. They said it was a drunk driver who hit them, who took my parents away from me. Then I lived in an orphanage of sorts, where I got along well with everyone, but I never had many friends at all. The other kids would usually make fun of me or tease me for being smart or for being really shy. When I grew old enough to leave the orphanage, I was hoping to continue my schooling, but I didn't have enough money, so I had to find a job. I guess I've just had a lot of disappointing things in my life. But, don't get me wrong, I've had a wonderful life other than that! I mean, I don't mean to complain, because I'm sure people have had it much worse than me!" Evie finished, giving Teru a small smile.

"I'm sorry, Evie. But I can really relate to you. I also lost my mother at a young age, and I was picked on and bullied by the other students because they found my sense of justice to be worthy of punishment. For years I endured torment from children like that, though I would still step in and help if one of my fellow students was being bullied. I could not stand by and do nothing, or simply watch it happen, as the other kids did. Nobody quite understood me or my sense of good and evil, but I knew that I was destined to protect the weak, to bring judgment upon those who had done wrong. So I studied law and became a criminal prosecutor, a career that I find very much suits me. I suppose that is why my views on Kira and his ideals are so strong." Teru explained, taking a drink of water.

"Wow, that's such a wonderful story!" Evie began, realizing how that must sound and hurrying to correct herself, "I mean…not wonderful…but…what I mean is that, even when you were a little kid you stood up for what you knew what right, for what you believed in. Even if you were standing alone. That's a very rare quality in this world, Teru, because most people now just do what everyone else is doing, afraid to speak what they believe. You're a very admirable person!" She said, watching the flame of the candle on the table jump and shake, spreading its warm glow across the table.

"Thank you very much, I think that's the first time anyone has ever told me that. But you are quite admirable yourself."

"How? My story didn't even compare to yours!" Evie said, smiling as she spoke.

"Yes it did, just not in the same way. Your story showed your strength of will and your ability to persevere even in difficult situations. Losing your parents, having no friends, being teased and ridiculed, seeking out a job to support yourself, wanting to continue your education to make the best of your life…those things speak volumes about the person you are." Teru said, the flame's reflection dancing in his dark eyes as he looked at Evie.

"Thanks, but I still say your story is better!" She replied, jokingly, as their food arrived at the table and they began to eat.

When they had both finished their meals and Teru paid the bill, they sat there for a moment until Teru spoke.

"Would you like to come to my apartment for awhile? We can have some tea or something, and I'd still like to talk with you more." He suggested.

"Yeah, that would be great! Thank you so much for dinner, also, it was delicious! I've never been anywhere this fancy before!" Evie said, standing up and straightening out her skirt as she looked around the restaurant.

"Well, then I'm glad I could treat you to this. I'm happy that you liked it, it's one of my favorite restaurants, but often I don't have such pleasant company." He remarked, eyeing Evie as she blushed.

"You're such a nice guy, Teru! I'm not used to being around such gentlemen." She laughed, imaging Matt with his cigarette and goggles and Mello with his chocolate and leather.

They walked out of the restaurant together and made their way slowly toward Teru's apartment a few blocks away. It was a chilly night and Evie gathered her coat tightly around herself as a frosty breeze whipped past her. She let her thoughts wander as they walked and she inwardly congratulated herself for her superior performance so far. She hadn't necessarily expected Teru to invite her to his apartment, but that just meant that he trusted her a lot, right?

"Well, here we are." Teru announced as they arrived at a very large, modern apartment complex. They walked inside and took the elevator up to the eleventh floor, where they exited and continued on to his room.

"This is a really nice building. My apartment is…well, let's just say it's all I could afford with a job that pays nearly minimum wage." Evie said, smiling nervously as they stopped in front of a door and Teru took out his key.

"That's more than could be said for some people. At least you have an apartment and the ability to support yourself, right?" He offered, pulling the door open and letting her inside.

It was a large apartment, with a sitting room, kitchen, and office visible from where she stood. It was very clean and organized and Evie appreciated the simplicity of it as she removed her shoes, leaving her coat on for warmth, and looked around.

"Please have a seat." Teru said, motioning toward the couch as he walked in and removed his coat and suit jacket. "I'll go get the tea started." With that, he walked away and left Evie alone.

She moved over to the couch and sat down slowly, still observing the apartment. She looked down the short hallway and found three doors leading to the office, and what was probably a bathroom and bedroom. She fidgeted with the hem of her skirt, looking around diligently for any sign of anything Kira related.

"So, Evie," Teru began as he walked back into the room, taking a seat in one of the comfortable looking chairs across from Evie, "if you had Kira's powers, what would you do with them?"

"That's a strange question…" Evie replied, a little taken back.

"But it's a legitimate one. I find it interesting to hear how people respond."

"Well, I guess…to tell you the truth, I'd probably be too scared to use them! I know it sounds stupid, but if I were gifted with the power to take lives…I'm not entirely sure I could do it." Evie answered honestly, shrugging as she looked at Teru.

"Yes, that's an understandable response, I suppose."

"And how about you? Would you use them, Teru?" She inquired, turning the question back on him and watching him closely as he answered.

"Yes, I would use them. I guess it only comes naturally to me to pass judgment on people, to deem their actions as good or evil, so I believe I would use them to the same effect that Kira is." He replied easily, his voice calm and confident.

"Yeah, judging from your past, I probably could have guessed your response to that question. So, is—" But Evie was cut off midsentence as the tea kettle began to whistle, its shrill cry echoing through the apartment.

"Excuse me." Teru said, standing up and walking out of the room to get the tea.

_Psh, of course he would use Kira's power…I mean, he's the one who's been carrying out Kira's punishments. I just wish I could find some solid evidence, some proof…but where would he keep it? Where is the Death Note? _Evie pondered as Teru returned shortly carrying two cups of hot tea. He set one down in front of Evie on the coffee table, setting the other nearer himself.

"Sorry about that," Teru apologized, taking his seat once again, "I believe you were going to say something?"

"Oh, um…oh yeah! So how do you think that Kira kills people? I mean, the police said earlier in the investigation that he can kill from afar, but there are restrictions. Do you think he just wishes them dead and they die? I don't know, that's something I've been wondering about though." Evie asked carefully, not wanting to sound suspicious. She took a sip of her tea as Teru responded.

"Yes, a very interesting question. I've wondered that myself, and considering that he kills by using heart attacks, it makes it that much harder to trace because he leaves no evidence. His methods, perhaps, are beyond our comprehension."

_Darn it…he's so careful about what he says, I don't think I could ever get him to trust me enough to show me the Death Note, or even to hint that he's doing Kira's dirty work. _Evie thought in frustration.

"Clearly. Nevertheless, I'm just glad that he's chosen to rid the world of evil people, it's nice to think that someday we won't have to worry about war, crime, murder, but instead we can all live peacefully." Evie said, playing her part of a Kira-supporter very well. "Um, would you mind if I used your restroom, please?" She asked, standing up.

"Not at all. It's down the hall behind me, the second door on your left."

"Thanks, I'll be back in a minute!"

She walked around the table, slowly making her way toward the bathroom. As she walked past the door to his office, she turned and looked inside. It was just as neat and orderly as the rest of the apartment seemed to be, and at the far end of the room sat a desk. At the foot of the desk, next to the chair, stood Teru's briefcase that Evie recognized as the one he had with him last night.

_Maybe…_She thought, as she glanced back at Teru, who still sat facing the opposite direction, drinking his tea. She hesitated for a moment, then walked to the bathroom door, flipping on the lights inside and closing the door. She then walked back to the office, walking on her tip toes and not making a sound. She went inside and snuck quietly toward the briefcase that sat on the floor. She whipped her head around, checking once again that she was alone, and finding that she was, she opened the briefcase and looked inside. Included in the contents were various files about current cases, a few small reference books, and a thin black notebook that nearly blended into the dark material of the briefcase. She felt every beat of her nervous heart as she grasped the notebook and withdrew it slowly, the cover becoming visible as she pulled it out completely.

_This…this is it! This is the Death Note! I can't believe I found it! But…I can't take it, there's no way, he would definitely notice, not to mention he would know for a fact that it was me, seeing as I'm probably the only one who's been here. But I'll need to test it to make sure that it's real. I can't test it here though, I wouldn't know who to kill, or if they even died…crap! _Evie reasoned to herself, her mind racing as she stared down at the notebook. _I can't wait any longer, if I don't go back soon, Teru will…_

"Evie…are you doing alright?" Teru called, his voice carrying from the living room.

Evie froze, trembling from head to toe as she heard him set down his teacup.

"Y-Yes…I-I'm fine. I'm sorry, I'll be right there!" She called back, cupping her hands around her mouth to try to make her voice sound muffled. She turned back to the Death Note and made a decision, opening it and gasping quietly in surprise as her eyes scanned page after page filled with names, dates, times. She flipped to the back of the book, hands shaking, and tore out a few small pieces from random pages, including a piece that had been written on but still had just enough blank space left to write a name in. Just as she began to tear out the final piece, she heard Teru stand and the distinct sound of approaching footsteps coming down the hall. She tore the piece out quickly, closing the notebook and stuffing it hurriedly back into his briefcase, Teru only feet away from the office door now.

Evie jumped up and ran silently over to the corner of the room where she backed herself against the bookshelves that lined the walls, praying that he didn't come in.

"Evie…?" Teru called, pausing in front of the office door, his shadow falling across the floor. There was no way Evie could respond to him now, if she used the same trick as before he would be able to tell that the voice wasn't coming from the bathroom. "Evie, are you sure you—" but his voice trailed away as he turned his head to look into the office, where he spotted his briefcase, open, it's contents poking out of the top. His eyes squinted as he stared at the briefcase, certain that he hadn't left it that way.

Without a word, he walked into the office, turning his head left, then right, his eyes widening as he took in the sight of Evie standing there in the dark, fear written on her face as she looked at Teru.

"What…what are you doing in here, Evie?" Teru asked, his voice was cold, dangerous, as he spoke, taking a small step toward her.

"I…I-I was just…just…I wanted to…" But Evie knew that making up excuses would be futile. He had discovered her hiding in a corner of his dark office, it would be extremely difficult to talk her way out of this.

"What are you doing in here?" He asked again, his voice was louder this time and Evie shrunk farther into the corner as he began to walk toward her, his eyes bulging with anger.

"Teru, I-I'm sorry, I didn't—"

"SHUT UP! You're a spy, aren't you?!" He shouted, grabbing her upper arms roughly, squeezing tightly.

"No, Teru! No, I—" Evie protested, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

"LIES! You tricked me you little bitch!" He screamed, slamming her against the bookcases, the hard shelves digging into her back as she cried out.

"P-Please!" She begged, her eyes shut tight in pain and fear.

"You're a liar! A lying little bitch! Kira will punish you!!"

"No, no! I'm not a spy! Please, Teru!" She tried to yell, but her voice was weak and shaky.

"DON'T LIE TO ME!" He bellowed, bringing his hand down hard across her face and sending her crashing to the floor. He began to advance toward her again, the calm and quiet Teru seemed almost nonexistent compared to the maniac who stood before her.

_The door…get to the door! _Evie's frantic mind shouted at her as she scrambled toward the door, standing up and running at full speed. She heard Teru take chase behind her as she turned into the hallway and headed for the front door. Just as she reached the doorknob, she felt Teru's hand grab a fistful of her hair as he pulled her backward. She cried out in pain as a new wave of tears threatened to fall.

"You're trying to stop me…you're trying to stop Kira! I WON'T LET YOU!" He screamed, dragging her farther from the door.

Without warning, Evie kicked back as hard as she could and felt her foot connect with what she assumed to be Teru's shin. He let out a grunt of pain and released her hair out of surprise. Evie took off running, reaching the door and wrenching it open as she ran down the hall, slamming the down button on the elevator until the doors opened. She ran inside, pushing the 'close door' button frantically, Teru only feet from the elevator. Just as he reached the doors, they shut tightly, the elevator beginning its descent to the ground floor.

Evie collapsed against the wall of the elevator, her whole body shaking uncontrollably, tears streaming steadily down her cheeks. She felt an angry welt forming on her face where Teru had hit her, felt her tender back throbbing where she had been slammed against the shelves, her arms bruising from his tight grip. As the elevator approached the ground floor, Evie forced herself up, ready to exit and run if she had to. The doors opened and she looked around quickly, not seeing Teru anywhere, she ran out of the building and into the cold night. Her bare feet aching as they pounded against the cold concrete, her breath coming in shaky gasps as she pushed herself to keep running.

Reaching the train station, she boarded as fast as she could, watching the door until it closed. She was alone in this car of the train as she leaned forward, burying her face in her hands, crying and shaking, her mind's eye replaying the terrible events of that night. Twenty minutes later Evie exited the train, her multiple wounds throbbing and protesting each movement. Finally, she reached Mello and Matt's apartment and walked inside the front doors, not caring who saw or who was watching. She slowly ascended the stairs, each step was agony as her tired muscles and her bruised body refused to carry her. She reached the door, gathering the strength to knock as she stood and waited. She heard their voices inside, so calm and unaware, while she stood there, new tears falling down her face as she heard someone come to the door.

"Evie! What…what the hell happened to you?!" Matt asked, standing there shocked as he took in Evie's appearance.

"Please…I just wanna come in. Please let me in…" She said weakly as she began to tremble again. Mello had come over to see what was going on, his mouth open slightly in surprise as he took Evie's hand and led her over to the couch. Matt closed the door, walking over to the couch and standing next to Mello.

"Evie, what happened?" Mello questioned, looking down at her.

"T-Teru…he…I-I found it…" She said, shaking, finding it difficult to say anything comprehensible as her mind only wanted to shut down.

"Found what? Did Mikami do this to you? Evie, I need you to tell me what happened." Mello said forcefully, trying to stay calm for Evie's sake.

She took a deep, shuddering breath as she attempted to retell the story.

"W-We went to dinner then we went back to…to his apartment. I said I had to use the bathroom, but I found the Death Note in his b-briefcase in his office, so I took some pieces from it. But he f-found me and he just…he was screaming at me. I got away, though. I ran away. I-I'm so sorry…" She finished, sobbing quietly as she looked anywhere but up at Mello and Matt.

"He hit you?" Mello demanded, staring down at Evie as she nodded feebly. "I'll fucking kill him! I'm going to kill that bastard!" Mello yelled, grabbing his gun and heading for the door, his rage clouding his logic.

"No!" Evie shouted, looking fearfully at Mello, another tear slipping down her cheek, "No, you can't go! They'll see you, they're following me!"

"Who'll see me? What the hell are you talking about?!"

"Someone is following me! I think…Light Yagami ordered them to follow me…if you go, they'll see you!"

"There's someone tailing you? Evie, how long have you known?"

"I…I don't know, two or three days?" She said, realizing her mistake and regretting it at once.

"You've been tailed for three fucking days and you never told us?! Why? What the hell were you thinking?!"

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to—"

"You gave me all kinds of shit about me not telling you everything, and now you don't tell us that you're being watched?!"

"C'mon, Mello. Leave her alone." Matt said, still standing by Evie.

"No, Matt! She should have told us! What's the point of having a plan if our enemy is watching every fuckin' move we make?!"

"Mello, please…I'm sorr—" Evie began, her voice full of regret as she looked over at Mello, her green eyes brimming with tears.

He didn't respond, he just glared at Evie before turning and walking out the door, slamming it loudly behind him. Evie stared at the door for a moment, as though she thought Mello might come walking back in, but then she collapsed into tears, sobbing and shaking, her body aching all over. She had no idea what to do, she had never felt so scared, so lost in her entire life. She felt Matt sit down next to her and gather her in his arms, stroking her hair soothingly as she cried.

"It's okay, Evie. I've got you, it's alright." He said softly, holding her against him, listening to her hushed cries and feeling her fragile body tremble.

* * *

"Light, Ide here." Ide said into the phone, out of breath from chasing after Evie.

"What is it?" Light asked.

"The girl. She saw the same guy again tonight, but she ran from his apartment building, from what I could tell, she looked like she was in pretty bad shape, pretty shaken up." Ide said, finally catching his breath as he sat in his car.

"Really? And you're positive it was the same man from last night?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Ide, the next chance you get, I want you to arrest that girl. Do you understand?" Light said firmly on the other end of the line.

"Arrest her? But on what charges?"

"Tell her that she is being taken in for questioning about Kira. But you must arrest her otherwise she will most likely try to run away. Do you understand, Ide? The next time you see her, I want you to apprehend her." Light ordered, making it as clear as possible.

"Alright, whatever you say." Ide said, saying goodbye and disconnecting the call.

_Perfect…with the girl in my custody, I'll use whatever means necessary to find out who she's working with. She practically dug her own grave, too bad. _Light thought to himself, an evil grin spread across his face as he continued his work.

* * *

Wow wow wow wow wow! Hey, chapter 10 is 10 pages! Hah hah (not funny. Okay.) So I'm thinking the length of this chapter should make up for the slight delay in updating, right? (You: Right!). So this chapter was loads of fun to write actually…I kind of like to write action scenes, but I'm not sure if I'm very good at them. Oh well! So what did you think of it? Hmmm? Did you like it or did you expect something like that to happen? Alright, well I'm muy tired right now cuz it's like 2 in the morning and I didn't get much sleep last night so yeah. Review plzthnx! 


	11. Desperate Measures

Hola everyone!! Okay, first off let me say that I'm very sorry for not getting this chapter up sooner…especially since I got such kind reviews after the last chapter. But I've been really busy lately and I just haven't found the time to write. Then, I _did_ find the time and I wrote out this chapter, but I didn't like how it turned out plus I changed my mind about what I wanted to happen, so then I had to find time to rewrite this chappie. That's my excuse, so I'm really sorry to make you wait! But, I also want to thank the people who reviewed!! Your reviews made me so happy and they inspired me, so thank you sooo much (you know who you are ;) Anyway, please read on now…sorry for the long A/N. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or its characters.

* * *

Evie remained safe in Matt's arms for hours, her body trembling as she recalled the events of that night, vividly the images ran through her mind as silent tears fell from her weary eyes. After some time, she had no tears left to cry, but her body still shook slightly as she leaned heavily against Matt, who held her tighter than ever. She closed her eyes, feeling his warmth, his beating heart next to hers, and she thanked him silently for being here for her.

"Evie, you should probably get some sleep after everything you've been through." Matt said, looking down at Evie's small body in his arms. She shifted slightly, turning to look up at Matt, her eyes wide with anxiety and fear.

"Please don't leave me alone right now. I don't want to be alone." She said, shaking her head slightly to emphasize her point. He considered her for a moment before giving her a small smile.

"I won't leave you, Evie. Don't worry. Now go get your pajamas on and wash your face, you'll feel better." Matt said, helping her up then standing up as well. She obliged, walking slowly toward the bathroom, her body sore and stiff.

Once she had reached the bathroom she washed her face and slipped into her pajamas, surveying her appearance in the dusty mirror. She cringed as she examined the various bruises that covered her back and upper arms, exposed by her camisole. Her face also had a faint bruise on it where Teru had hit her, sending her crashing to the floor. She looked for a moment longer into the mirror, then turned and walked out into the hallway, stopping in front of Matt's bedroom as she spotted him inside. He was fixing the bed up, though Evie could tell he wasn't used to doing it as he clumsily fluffed the pillow and straightened the blankets. She couldn't help but let a small smile form on her face as she watched her friend, appreciating him now more than ever before.

"Oh, hey, didn't see you there," Matt said, turning toward Evie as he finished fixing the bed, "You can sleep in here if you want, it'll probably be more comfortable than the couch." He suggested, walking toward the door where Evie stood, ready to walk out.

"Where are you going?" Evie inquired, the smile slipping from her face as she looked up at him.

"I'll sleep out here on the couch, so if you need anything—"

"No, please, I don't want to be alone. Please stay in here with me…" Evie pleaded, the images of a furious Teru and betrayed Mello resurfaced in her mind.

"You sure?" He asked, looking down at her, then catching sight of the dark bruises that marked her arms and back. He stared at them for a moment, as if he thought he may be imagining them, then averted his gaze back to Evie's eyes. She looked away immediately, not wanting to meet Matt's eyes. "What the hell did he do to you, Evie?"

"It's nothing…I don't want to talk about it right now." She said weakly, walking over to the bed and laying down on it. Matt hesitated, then followed suit, lying down next to Evie, staring up at the dark ceiling as he wondered what may have transpired at Teru's apartment. He was shaken from his thoughts by the sound of Evie's voice, quiet and sad as she turned toward Matt.

"Do you think Mello will be alright?" She asked, worry etched on her face.

"Of course, you know Mello can take care of himself. He just needs some time to get over it, don't worry." Matt answered, still staring at the ceiling as his thoughts wandered off topic toward things like his video games and how badly he wanted a cigarette.

"I know…but…" Evie finished her sentence with a sigh, at a loss for words as she remembered Mello storming out, leaving her behind when she needed him the most. But Matt had stayed by her, and she was grateful for that. She closed the distance between them, taking his hand in hers and resting her head on his shoulder as she closed her eyes, trying to empty her mind, but finding it extremely difficult.

The feeble rays of morning sunlight shone into Matt's bedroom through the tiny window, bathing the room in a gentle golden glow. Evie opened her eyes slowly, unwillingly, the mere hour of sleep she had gotten the night before was not nearly enough to get her through the day. But she knew that she wouldn't be able to sleep anymore, just as her thoughts had prevented her from falling asleep before, they wouldn't allow her to fall back asleep now. She looked over at Matt, slumbering peacefully next to her, their hands still intertwined, as she raised herself up slowly, unlinking their hands and climbing quietly out of bed. She walked silently over to the door, glancing back once more at Matt as she shut the door and made her way toward the bathroom.

_I might as well go to work, _Evie thought to herself as she combed her hair and washed her face. _Maybe it will help take my mind off of everything, not to mention the fact that if I called in today my boss would kill me. _Evie found her work clothes in a crumpled heap on the bathroom floor, just as she had left them the day she had walked to work and back in the rain. They were too wrinkled to even consider wearing, so she just put on a nice pair of jeans and a long sleeved shirt, slipping her jacket from last night on over it and making her way into the sitting room. Her eyes jumped immediately to the couch, but she found it empty, as was Mello's bedroom. He hadn't come back yet, and that worried Evie. She decided upon leaving Matt a note telling him where she went so that he wouldn't worry, placing it next to his box of cigarettes where she knew he would see it. Then she grabbed her purse and headed out of the apartment and onto the street, where she walked slowly, her body tired and sore.

"Light, this is Ide. The girl just walked out of the apartment, are you sure you want me to bring her in?" Ide asked, his hand gripping the handle of the car door, ready to open it and seize the girl as soon as Light gave the word.

"Yes, Ide, those were my instructions. I've already told you, I have my reasons to believe that she may be linked to Kira. I want you to arrest her under those terms and bring her to the new HQ. Understand?" Light said, slightly frustrated that he had to repeat himself.

"Alright, see you soon then." Ide said, ending the call and opening the door quietly so as not to attract her attention.

Ide looked around as he walked quickly toward Evie, the street was empty so he didn't have to worry about people getting in the way. He picked up his pace, now only a few yards behind her, his fingers wrapped tightly around the handcuffs in his coat pocket.

"Excuse me…" Ide said, still walking as Evie stopped and turned around to face him.

"Wait a minute…you're—" But before Evie could react, Ide had covered the remaining distance between them, forcing Evie's wrists behind her and snapping the handcuffs closed. "What are you doing?! Let me go!" Evie yelled, struggling against Ide as he took her by the arm and began to lead her toward his car. She strained against the handcuffs, the cold metal digging into her soft skin as she tried to get away. Ide tightened his grip on her upper arm, hot tears pricking her eyes as he held her bruised arm tightly.

"You're being taken in for questioning under suspicion of aiding Kira." Ide announced in a professional tone as he continued to drag Evie to the car.

"Aiding Kira…what are you talking about?! I have nothing to do with Kira! Let go of me!!" She screamed, panic rising inside of her as they reached the car. He opened the door, shoving her inside, then climbing into the front seat and starting the ignition.

"Please, I have no idea what's going on, I have nothing to do with Kira! You have to let me go!" Evie begged, trying to reason with him as he pulled the car out onto the street and began to drive away. He offered no response and Evie knew that it was pointless to try and reason with him now.

She turned around, watching Mello and Matt's apartment building shrink into the distance as the car sped away toward the new headquarters of the Japanese Task Force. She sat in silence the whole way there, shocked at this turn of events and afraid of what was to come next. She wanted to cry, wanted to break down again, wanted to be safe with Mello and Matt, but her whole world was crashing down around her. Mello was gone, Matt was out of reach, neither of them would have any idea where she was taken to, there was no one there for her, she was completely alone. That thought shook her, caused tears to form in her eyes, but she would not cry. She would not let him see her weakness, she had to be stronger than that. She steeled herself for what was to come, the one she knew was waiting for her at their final destination: Light Yagami, L…Kira.

* * *

Matt stirred slightly, hesitantly opening his eyes as he looked around, expecting Evie to be asleep next to him. But when he found the bed empty he climbed out of it, walking over to the door and pulling it open. A quick survey of the small apartment told Matt that Evie was no longer there. He walked over to the table in the sitting room, reaching for a cigarette, when his eyes fell upon the note that Evie had left. He picked it up, reading it over twice:

_Matt,  
__I had to work today but I should be home around 2 o'clock. Sorry I didn't wake you up, but thanks for staying with me last night. If Mello comes back before I return, please tell him that I'm sorry. See you at 2._

_Love,  
__Evie_

Matt stared at the note, knowing that the only reason she hadn't woke him up was because he would have tried to stop her from going to work in her condition. He set the note back down on the table, picking up a box of cigarettes and sliding one out, placing it between his lips and lighting it. He sat down on the couch, grabbing his handheld game from the table and trying his hardest to focus, but for some reason his thoughts kept straying from the game.

_Evie…I know you didn't do anything wrong in going to work today, but sometimes you can be just as careless as Mello. I just hope you're okay…_

* * *

Ide pulled the car into the parking lot of a very large and modern looking building, getting out and opening the door for Evie. She got out of the car, following obediently as Ide took her by the arm and led her inside. They took the elevator to one of the top floors, where they got out and headed toward a room near the end of the hallway. Ide knocked softly on the door, waiting for a response, Evie standing silently beside him. A moment later Aizawa pulled the door open, looking carefully at Evie then stepping aside to let them enter. Ide led her into a small room with a large window, in front of which someone stood, waiting.

"L, I apprehended the girl as you instructed." Ide said, looking toward the window.

"Very well, good work, Ide. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to have a word alone with her." Light said, still standing in front of the window and looking down upon the street.

"Right." Ide replied, and he released Evie's arm and walked from the room, closing the door and leaving her alone with Light.

"You have been brought here under the suspicion of aiding Kira." Light stated, his gaze fixed out the window. Evie didn't reply, she just stood there, glaring dangerously in Light's direction. Her silence prompted Light to turn around to face her, he walked over to her and stood a few feet in front of her, smirking slightly as he looked down at her.

"So tell me, where did you get your information? You knew exactly who to befriend to try to get close to Kira. You befriended the same people that we suspect may be linked to Kira. Discovering the links between these people would take a tremendous amount of effort, unless of course, you were getting your information from some other source?" Light asked, watching Evie as he spoke. Again, she offered no response, she only looked up at him with an emotionless face.

"I see, so you're not going to talk. Does that mean that you admit your guilt and accept your charges of aiding Kira?"

Evie clenched her hands into fists behind her back, the handcuffs still tightly secured around her wrists.

"If you tell us what we need to know regarding Kira or your source of information, then there's a possibility that we will let you go." Light stated, stepping toward Evie.

_Let me go? Yeah right…stop playing dumb, Light, I know you're Kira. And the very fact that you've let me so far into your headquarters, so far into your little web of lies only means that you plan to kill me. I know that. But I won't tell you a thing…not yet…_Evie thought to herself, still staring up at Light with a neutral look.

Light sighed quietly, closing his eyes for a moment to collect himself, then turning his gaze once again toward Evie.

"I will keep you here until you talk, but my time is limited, so for your own sake, I would not delay in giving us your information." He said, his tone was calm but had a dangerous edge to it as he stepped toward Evie, looking down at her. She turned her eyes downward, staring at the floor until she felt Light's hand under her chin, forcing her head upward, her eyes meeting his.

"I will find out who you are and what you have to do with Kira. I will use any means necessary, consider this your warning." He said, his eyes narrowed as he held her gaze for a moment longer then walked out the door. Evie stood in that spot for a few minutes, considering what Light had just said, until she turned to see Ide walk in. He released her from her handcuffs then left without a word. Evie walked over to the small couch in the middle of the room and sat down, thinking hard about what she should do.

_Light is getting nervous and desperate for information about those who oppose him. He doesn't know that I'm working with Mello, though, which is good because it means that Matt and Mello are safe for the moment. I just hope that Mello doesn't do anything reckless. Now…I have to think of a way to get out of here. The only way that will postpone my death would be to pretend that I'm actually a Kira supporter. That may work, but Light may see through my plan. If there was just some way to…of course! _Evie thought suddenly, remembering the events of last night.

She dug her hand into her coat pocket, her fingers closing around a small scrap of paper as she withdrew her hand. Between her fingers she held a piece of the Death Note that she had torn out of Teru Mikami's notebook. She looked at the bit of paper, contemplating her actions as she spotted a pen on the table and picked it up.

_If this works, if I really do kill somebody, it has to someone who I will know immediately if they die. Which leaves only the people who are with me right now…the Japanese Task Force. But I only know the full name and face of one person here…_

Evie held the pen over the little piece of paper, her hand shaking slightly as she gathered her courage and lowered the pen to the paper. She wrote the name slowly, hoping against hope that this would work. As much as she hated to kill anybody, she knew this was the only way, and if this didn't work then things would become much more complicated.

The moment she finished writing the name she set down the pen, staring at the paper, Light Yagami's name shined black as the fresh ink glistened in the light. Evie sat there, waiting, sure that this was the longest forty seconds of her life.

_37…38…39…40! _She counted in her head, and as she counted forty, she listened intently for the sound of screams, a struggle, anything that would hint at the death of Light Yagami in a room nearby. But as she continued to listen she felt her heart sink, she heard nothing but the complete silence of the empty room, a silence that not only emphasized her aloneness, but also her failed attempt at freedom. It was a silence that signified the death of a desperate effort and the impending danger that lurked ahead.

* * *

Wooooo how's that for a dramatic chapter ending? Hehe. Anyway, I'm sorry it's not longer, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. No Mello in this chapter…that's sad…I miss him! The next chapter will begin Evie's second plan…and bundles of other exciting things! But yeah…so I'll probably have the next chapter up in a couple days. Sorry, but I've been busy, I'm sure you understand, right? (You: Right! Not a problem!) Aw thanks! Lol, anyway…it's like 2 in the morning and I'm tired, so I go sleepy now! Thanks again for the reviews last chapter and I'd really appreciate more reviews –wink wink- not that I'm getting greedy or anything!! Lol. I'm leaving now. Promise. REVIEW! Bye! Much love! 


	12. Lies

Sooo hi people! Alrighty, sorry again for the slight delay in getting this chapter up but I am very easily distracted. I also love to procrastinate. :/ Anywho, this will be my last chapter for a couple of weeks because I'm going out of the country. YAY! So, therefore, I will not have access to a computer and therefore can not post more chappies. Sorry. But as soon as I get back I'll make sure to get a chapter up, okay? Anyway, read on and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or its characters.

* * *

Matt sat on the couch in the dark apartment, his cell phone in one hand, a cigarette in the other and his handheld game lay abandoned on the table, it's bright screen the only light in the room. He dialed Mello's number again and held the phone to his ear, raising the cigarette to his lips, the smoke swirling and drifting toward the ceiling. Just as he expected, Mello did not answer.

"Damn it." Matt cursed under his breath, frustrated by the current situation. It was now nearly eleven o'clock at night and neither Mello nor Evie had returned. Matt was sure that Mello could take care of himself, but it was Evie who he was truly worried about. Her note said that she would be back around two in the afternoon but she never came, she never even called. Matt stood up slowly from the couch and walked over to the window, staring out and wondering what had happened to his two best friends.

* * *

Evie sat on the small couch in the room where she was being held at the headquarters of the Japanese Task Force. The bright moonlight cast its silver beams into the room, illuminating everything it touched with a dull glow. She had been in this room for hours on end and had not talked to anyone, including Light, since he had left her the first time. The tiny scrap of Death Note bearing Light's name was clutched firmly in Evie's hand as she stared down at it, a look of contemplation and worry etched on her face.

_It didn't work, the Death Note didn't work. Mello and Near seemed to think that it was possible that pieces and pages taken from the note were still effective even though they had become separated from the notebook. Then I don't understand…why did it not work? Unless…unless that wasn't actually the Death Note. But why would Teru have a notebook that looked exactly like the Death Note if it wasn't really the Death Note? In fact…it would be a stupid idea to carry that fake around seeing as if he was ever caught it would be evidence against him. So then why…?_

Evie thought to herself, but as she continued to recall certain things, certain pieces of information, an idea occurred to her.

_Of course! Mello had told me that he had contacted that Halle Lidner woman not too long ago, and she had told him that Near had a plan to try and capture Kira. Mello told me that she didn't divulge too much information about it to him, she merely said that Near had a plan. So maybe Teru created a replica Death Note to throw Near off or to mess up his plan. Obviously, such advanced instructions would have had to come from Light, who would probably try to foresee Near's plan. But then that would mean that this fake Death Note could ruin Near's plan, and who knows what would happen then. I have to find a way to warn him, I have to warn Near about the fake Death Note…but how?_

She continued to think, working her way through countless scenarios and lies, knowing that there was a slim chance that Light would ever believe any of them. Finally, she stumbled upon a scheme that might work, but it would be difficult to convince Light, not to mention the fact that the success of this plan was almost entirely based on luck. She would also have to wait for the perfect moment to begin, otherwise Light would be suspicious. Evie lay down on the couch, heaving a small sigh as she went over her plan again and again in her mind until she couldn't focus any longer and she drifted off into sleep.

Evie awoke the next morning to the bright sunlight that flooded the small room and the sounds of traffic on the street far below the apartment. She rose slowly off the couch, stretching and walking over to the window where she looked out, blinking a few times against the strong light. She stood there for a few minutes until she heard someone at the door, turning the knob and entering the room. Evie glared at Light as he walked into the room, shutting the door firmly behind him and turning to look at Evie.

"I'm glad you're awake. Hopefully you'll be a little more cooperative today?" Light said, watching her as he spoke. Evie said nothing, just turned and stared out the window again. "I see. Perhaps you can answer me just one thing, what is your real name? Even just your first name seeing as you don't trust me. I wouldn't like calling you Chloe, as that's not your name." He said, approaching her and standing next to her, examining her as she gazed out the window. Again, she said nothing but she noticed out of the corner of her eye that Light's expression changed from one of calm superiority to blatant frustration.

"I warned you what would happen if you didn't cooperate. I don't have time to deal with your silence!" He yelled, his anger taking hold of him as he stared at the girl. Still, she did not respond, even to his yelling, and that frustrated him even more. He suddenly stepped toward her, grabbing her by her shoulders and slamming her against the wall, his fingers digging into her skin as she let out a small cry of pain. "Tell me who you're working with!" He screamed, shaking her slightly.

_Just a little longer…_Evie thought to herself, her arms aching from Light's tight grip. When she still did not answer, he narrowed his eyes dangerously, removing one of his hands from her arm and bringing it down hard across her face. She felt it sting and burn, the flesh still tender from where Teru had hit her not long ago. When she saw him draw his hand back, ready to strike her again, she realized that this was the opportune moment she had been waiting for.

"Stop!" Evie shouted, forcing tears to form in her eyes as she cringed, anticipating the second blow. "Please stop!" She begged, and she opened her eyes to find that Light had released her and was now glaring down at her, a strange look dancing in his eyes.

"Are you ready to give me some answers?" He asked, his voice calm and quiet once again.

"Yes. Yes…" Evie answered in a defeated tone of voice.

"What is your name?" Light began, eager that he was finally going to get some answers.

"Ever." She replied flatly, looking determinedly into Light's eyes.

"What?"

"You asked me my name. It's Ever."

"Don't mess with me! I want your real name."

"Ever is what I've been called since I was a baby. It's the name I was given at Wammy's." Evie replied truthfully.

"Wammy's?" _So this girl…she's one of them?! _Light thought to himself, shocked.

"Y-Yes. It's a—"

"I know what it is. So are you working with others from Wammy's?"

"No. All the other students, unlike me, wanted to catch Kira." Evie said, leading Light on.

"What do you mean?"

"I was the only student at Wammy's who actually supported Kira. All the others wanted him dead, captured, put to justice." Evie lied, yet Light suspected nothing.

"So then I was correct in assuming that you were aiding Kira?" Light pried, still playing the part of L.

"You're wrong. I've never even met Kira, so how could I be helping him? I was trying to discover who Kira was, trying to get close to those who were suspected of being involved with Kira. But then I was arrested by you." Evie said convincingly.

"So you found out that Misa Amane and Teru Mikami were suspected of being linked to Kira, so you befriended them. But that means that you would have had to have gotten such guarded information from somewhere…"

"Yes. From Near himself."

"Near?!"

"I haven't seen his face in years, nor have I been to the headquarters of the SPK because I don't think he trusts me that much, but he has trusted me enough as a fellow Wammy's house student to hand over certain pieces of information. He's under the impression that I'm working on my own to try and stop Kira, when really I've been using the information to try and get close to Kira." Evie explained, having well rehearsed her lies.

"If you are telling me the truth, then you should have reconsidered your story. As I'm sure you've deduced, I am L, therefore you should also know that I have been working with Near to stop Kira and that I would possibly relay this information to him." Light said, testing her.

"No, you may have started out working with Near, but I know for a fact that Near now suspects you of being Kira," Evie responded confidently, "So is it true? Are you Kira, Light Yagami?"

Evie's question hung heavy in the air and neither spoke for minutes, each considering the other, contemplating their options. Light's face was expressionless save for his slightly narrowed eyes, which were focused intently upon Evie, who stared back at him with a determined look.

"Yes," Light said finally, his mind reaching a conclusion and formulating a plan, "I am Kira."

"Prove it." Evie countered.

"You'll have to take my word for it."

"Why can't you prove it?"

"I'm no longer in possession of the notebook, though I am in contact with the one who is."

"Teru Mikami, right?"

"Yes. Ever, if you are telling me the truth, then you will be willing to help me, right?" Light asked, grinning inwardly.

"Of course, that is, if you are telling me the truth too." She said smartly.

"Then there should be no problem."

"So what do you want me to do?"

"Near, as I'm sure you know, is my biggest obstacle right now. He is the only thing standing between me and my ideal world. I need you to help me get rid of him, can you do that?" Light questioned.

"How?" Evie asked.

"I need you to look at his face, then draw a picture of him for me."

"A picture? But how do you expect me to see him?"

"I already have a plan for that, and once you give me the picture I can give it to Mikami, who will be able to see Near's real name."

"So Teru Mikami has the Shinigami Eyes?"

"That's right. Which means that he knows your real name and face as well since you met him, Ever. I only need to ask him and he will kill you without hesitation, so I hope that you're telling me the truth." Light threatened a fatal look in his eyes.

"That's fine, I'm not worried, because I am telling the truth, and I am completely willing to help you, Kira. Just say the word!" Evie exclaimed, overjoyed that her plan was going just as she had hoped.

"Good. Give me a little time and you'll be on your way to the SPK headquarters." Light assured her, turning around and walking out the door, an evil smirk forming on his face as he shut the door and went to contact Near.

Evie flopped onto the couch wearily, sighing and closing her eyes. Everything had gone as she had hoped and it didn't seem like Light suspected her at all.

_But then again, Light is almost as good of an actor as I am…so I still have to be careful. _She thought to herself. She then sat up quickly, grabbing the pen from the table and taking out one of the larger bits of fake Death Note from her jacket pocket. She leaned forward, writing her message in tiny, neat handwriting then stowing the piece in the back pocket of her jeans. _I just hope that everything else goes as planned…_

Light took a seat at the desk, pausing for a moment to think, then pushing the button to contact Near.

"Near, it's L." Light said, waiting for a response.

"L, what did you need?" Replied Near.

"I know you have taken Mogi and Misa into your custody, and you still have them there, correct?"

"Yes."

"Well, I have also taken into custody someone who may be of interest to you, Near."

"Who would that be?" Near asked.

"Ever." Light replied, then a short silence followed.

_Ever…Ever from Wammy's House?! Could Light Yagami really have captured Ever? While Gevanni was tailing Teru Mikami, he said he saw a girl with Mikami a couple of nights in a row, then he saw her run away from Mikami's apartment. If that girl was really Ever, then it's possible that she's working to capture Kira as well. She probably knew that Light Yagami was L and therefore was in contact with me, so she told him that she was somehow connected to me so that Light would contact me and I would know he had her. That means that she either needs help, or she has found something out and is trying desperately to get in touch with me… _Near thought to himself, then offered Light a response.

"So you have taken Ever into your custody?"

"Yes."

"I don't believe you, L. After all, I do believe that you're Kira, so how do I know you aren't lying?"

"Very well, I'll prove it to you. I'll send you a picture of her."

"No, no pictures. It's bad enough that you've seen her face. The only way to prove it would be to bring her here in person." Near said, playing along.

"But that would defeat the purpose of taking her into my custody."

"No, it will strengthen your purpose because right now I don't believe you so telling me that you have Ever is pointless. If, however, you prove to me that you _do _have her, then it will be to your benefit as it will cause me to consider my moves more carefully since I suspect you of being Kira. Though, I trust you won't hurt her since I am not mistreating Misa or Mogi."

"No, I have no intention of hurting her, I simply thought that if you could apprehend my people, it's only fair that I can apprehend people working for you, especially those who I think may be aiding Kira." Light added slyly, grinning as he spoke.

"Aiding Kira? What are you talking about, L?" Near asked.

"I suspect that Ever may have been using your information to try and get close to Kira in order to help him. It's merely a suspicion, though you may want to question her about it when she comes to visit you."

"So then does that mean you have agreed to bring her here to prove that you have her?"

"Yes, if that's the only way. I'll have Aizawa bring her since I know you trust him already."

"That's fine. And as I'm sure you know, I would appreciate it if you didn't use any wires or cameras." Near added, twirling his hair between his fingers.

"Of course. How about tomorrow morning, does that work for you?"

"Sure, it doesn't matter."

"Alright, I'll alert Aizawa and Ever. Goodbye, Near."

With a click of a button, Light ended the call, leaning back slightly in his chair and grinning to himself. _This is perfect! Ever will see Near's face, then all I have to do is have Mikami right his name in the book and he's out of my way! And even if this fails…it's no problem since Near and I have already arranged the meeting of us and our groups in the warehouse… _

Light stood up and made his way toward the room where Evie was being held, opening the door and stepping inside to see her sitting on the couch, her legs tucked up under her. She turned to look at him as he walked over to her, standing in front of the couch and looking down at her.

"Tomorrow morning you will be taken to see Near at the SPK headquarters. Aizawa will be accompanying you there. Remember to get a good look at Near's face." Light instructed, used to giving orders by now.

"Okay, no problem." Evie replied.

"Also, I told him that I suspected you of trying to help Kira, so if he questions you about that make sure you play along."

"Why did you tell him that?" Evie asked, already knowing the answer.

"Because firstly, I needed a decent reason to have taken you into my custody, and second, it may help to convince Near that I'm not Kira." Light explained.

"I see. Well, I'll do my best tomorrow, Light." Evie said, trying her best to sound sincere. Light simply nodded then turned and walked out the door, closing it firmly behind him.

Evie remained sitting on the couch, thinking about what Light had said. _I knew Near would understand. So far, everything is going as I had expected, I just hope it continues to go well. And I really hope that Mello and Matt are doing alright, if Mello does something crazy now and messes up my plan…ugh, I don't even want to think about what would happen. But I miss him so much. I never even got to apologize to him... _Evie thought sadly. But she had promised herself she wouldn't cry, not now, not when she had other things to focus on. Tomorrow would be the most crucial part of her plan and she had to concentrate on that. If she succeeded, then everyone would be safe and Kira would be caught. If she failed, however, it would ensure Kira's success and would mean certain death for her and those she cared about most.

* * *

Okey dokey…that's chapter twelve. I know it wasn't too action packed or anything, sorry about that. You know what…I miss writing Mello! Lol. He hasn't been in the last couple of chapters and that's sad. But he will be in the next chapter…yes indeedy. Anyway, like I said at the beginning, there won't be anymore updates for a couple weeks because I'll be out of the country…but I'll get a chapter up right away when I get back. So please don't leave me! Hehe. Just kiddin'. So I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please leave me lots of wonderful reviews so that when I get back I'll be like "OMG look at all these wonderful reviews!!" Much love to my readers and until later, ciao!! 


	13. To Catch a Glimpse

ZOMG look...it's a new chapter! Hehe...hey everybody, I'm back...obviously!! Well my trip was super amazing and I had tons of fun but I got sick on the plane ride back –sniffle- lol, that's okay though! So thanks a bunch for the reviews I got while I was gone…they made me happy! So yeah, sorry for the super long delay and I hope you're not angry! So here's chapter 13…OOoOoOO 13!! Hehe. Phew, I had to go back and reread half my story because I had forgotten what I'd wrote before I left, haha. Aw I just finished watching a really cute anime episode with romance in it…it makes me wanna write romance but all my couples in this story are separated right now. Darn it! Lol. Anyway, this has nothing to do with chapter 13 so please read on!!

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or its characters.

* * *

Sleep did not come to Evie throughout the entire night and she lay upon the small couch, her mind completely preoccupied with tomorrow. She stared up at the dark ceiling watching the patch of silvery moonlight move across the ceiling as the night passed away. Each hour brought new fear and worry, anxiety and doubt, but she tried to keep a positive attitude, tried to assure herself that everything would work out. As the pearly moonlight died away and was replaced by the golden rays of morning sun, Evie rose from the couch and heaved a sigh. She knew Light would be coming to get her soon and she and Aizawa would be going to meet Near, she had to be prepared.

* * *

Mello climbed the familiar steps up to the second level of the apartment building, pulling the single key from his pocket and opening the door. 

"Mello, where the hell have you been?!" Matt asked the minute the blonde stepped foot into the room.

"What's your problem?" Mello asked uncaringly, not meeting Matt's eyes.

"My problem? Mello…Evie's been missing for three days. I tried to call you but you never answered your phone." Matt explained, a subtle note of frustration in his voice.

"What do you mean Evie's missing?" Mello inquired, looking at Matt with a frown.

"The day after you left she went to work and was supposed to be back at two that afternoon. Well, she never came back and she never called or anything since then. It must have been the people who were tailing her, they must have taken her."

"Shit!" Mello exclaimed, turning back toward the door and beginning to walk out.

"Where are you going?" Matt asked.

"I'm going to see Near. Just wait here." Mello ordered before exiting the building quickly and speeding off on his motorcycle, his mind racing with thoughts of Evie and what could have happened to her. _There are two possibilities; one is that Near took her, though I highly doubt it. The other is that Light Yagami kidnapped her, which is what I'm sure happened. Near is in contact with Light…if I can find out where the HQ of the Japanese Task Force is, then I can go get Evie. I don't care what I have to do…I'll do whatever it takes to find her._

* * *

Evie paced the room, then paused and reached her hand into the back pocket of her jeans, her small fingers closing around the scrap of paper upon which she had written her message. She pushed the paper farther into her pocket just as she heard a knock on the door and saw Light enter. 

"I'm ready to leave, whenever Aizawa is." Evie said, turning to face Light.

"Good, he'll be coming to get you in a few minutes. Remember to get a good look at Near's face."

"But Light, what if he's wearing a mask, or he has his back to me? I mean, he doesn't trust you so why would he completely trust me and let me see his face?"

"I am confident that he will not hide himself from you." Light answered, his voice unfaltering.

"If you say so…"

Evie's response was followed by another knock at the door.

"Come in, Aizawa." Light stated, turning toward the door to face Aizawa.

"I'm ready to take her, L." Aizawa said, pulling a pair of handcuffs from his pocket and approaching Evie. Evie did not object, turning around and placing her hands behind her back. She felt the cold metal slide around her wrists and the metallic clanking that locked the cuffs in place. _Perfect…now all I need is for the last part of my plan to work out…the most important part…_She thought to herself, turning back around to face the two men.

"Aizawa, take her straight to the SPK headquarters and bring her back when Near is finished questioning her. You are not to speak to her at all or to divulge any information to her, do you understand?" Light asked him.

"I understand. So you said that Near wanted to question her as well, since we are sure she has connections to Kira? That's why I'm bringing her there, correct?" Aizawa inquired, eyeing Light carefully.

"Yes, that's right. And I'm sure you're aware that you won't be wearing any bugs or cameras since you will be seeing Near. Also, you will have to be blindfolded while Aizawa drives you to the SPK headquarters, Ever."

"I figured that much. We'll be going then." Aizawa replied, taking Evie by the arm and leading her out the door and through the apartment. As they approached the front entrance, Aizawa reached for the door handle but paused and turned to face Light, who had began to speak.

"Aizawa, I want you to watch her carefully, make sure she doesn't try anything, understand?" Light asked, his eyes glinting dangerously as he looked from Aizawa to Evie. Evie's heart beat a little faster at his words as she stared at him from across the room, her own green eyes narrowing slightly. Light offered them a coy smile then turned and walked into another room, closing the door behind him.

"Let's go." Aizawa said, snapping Evie out of her thoughts as she turned and allowed him to tie a cloth across her eyes then lead her out of the building.

Aizawa had indeed kept his promise to Light as he remained completely silent during the entire car ride to the SPK headquarters. This was no problem for Evie, it gave her more time to think and consider her possibilities. She knew that this was what her plan came down to…the meeting with Near. _I just hope I can tell him what I need to without getting caught. I'm sure Aizawa would have watched closely anyway, but now that Light warned him to keep a close eye on me…I'll have to be extra careful. _She thought to herself as she felt the car finally come to a stop and heard Aizawa get out of the car then open her door, taking her arm and helping her.

_This is it…_

* * *

Mello stood in the SPK headquarters next to Near, who sat huddled on the floor surrounded by various toys that for the moment, lay forgotten. 

"Mello, I've told you what I know. Gevanni said he saw a girl with Mikami for two consecutive nights, but she ran away on the second night. If that was Ever, I don't know what happened to her between that night and yesterday." Near explained, twirling his white hair delicately between his fingers.

"Yesterday? What happened yesterday?" Mello asked, glaring down at Near, his gun still drawn.

"I was contacted by L. He informed me that he had taken Ever into his custody on the pretense that she was aiding Kira."

"Why the hell didn't you tell me that sooner?" Mello shouted, but Near remained unaffected by his outburst, "So then Yagami really does have her…" Mello added, more to himself than to Near.

"Yes. In fact, if you stick around for a few minutes you may be able to see her." Near said, his face expressionless as usual.

"What do you mean?"

"She is being brought here on my request, so that I know for sure that L has her. But that's not all…I believe she had a plan and needed to see me, she wants to tell me something." Near explained, looking up at Mello.

"Why the hell would she want to see _you_? Listen, if she's coming here then I'm not leaving without her."

"Mello, don't do anything stupid." Near said, picking up one of his toys and playing with it.

"Don't you dare tell me what to do! I don't take orders from you, Near! I came here to get Ever back and that's exactly what I'll do. I don't give a shit if I have to kill everyone here!" Mello yelled, his anger getting the best of him. But just as Near opened his mouth to reply, Anthony Rester rushed into the room.

"Near, they're here. Aizawa and Ever are here." Rester said, pointing to the screens behind Near.

"Let them in." Near ordered, turning his head to look at the screens as Rester rushed out of the room to open the doors for them.

Mello stared up at the screens, his eyes narrowed in anger and frustration as he saw Aizawa leading Ever by the arm, her hands cuffed behind her and her eyes blindfolded. Mello quickly pulled up the hood of his jacket and put on his large sunglasses to obscure his face then walked over to a dark, secluded corner where he stood, waiting for them to enter. Moments later the doors opened and he watched silently as Aizawa led Evie into the large room, stopping a good distance from Near then untying the blindfold. Evie blinked a few times and looked around quickly, her eyes finally coming to rest on Near, who still sat upon the floor.

"Welcome, Ever and Aizawa," Near stated, playing thoughtfully with his hair, "I suppose it would be best just to get to the point. Ever, I'm sure you know why you are being held in L's custody."

"Because I'm suspected of helping Kira. Near, you know that's not true…please…" Evie said, taking in the sight of her classmate from long ago.

"Why did you suddenly befriend Misa Amane and Teru Mikami?" Near questioned her bluntly.

"Because I was trying to catch Kira, just like you and L! I knew that Misa and Teru were linked to Kira so I tried to get close to them to see if I could get information out of them." Evie answered, playing along with Near's well-staged interrogation.

"You thought that you could get information from them when neither I nor L could? Didn't you realize that it was simply making you look more suspicious?"

"I had to try something…unlike you, I didn't have a team of investigators to do my dirty work for me."

Mello watched their interaction from the corner, his hand wrapped tightly around his gun, his trigger finger itching for action. Right now, he didn't know who he hated more, Near or Light. He continued to watch as Near questioned Evie, who tried to defend herself and her innocence. Mello could tell that Near was reaching the end of his interrogation when Mello saw Evie reach her hand, still cuffed behind her back, into the back pocket of her jeans. He watched intently as she withdrew a small piece of paper and crumpled it slightly between her fingers, then let it fall silently to the floor, all while answering Near's final question.

"Very well. Aizawa, I'm finished talking to her, you may return to L now and tell him that I will be in contact with him shortly with my thoughts about the girl." Near said, looking away from them and picking up one of his toys. Aizawa took this as his cue to leave and stepped in front of Evie, getting ready to tie the blindfold securely around her eyes.

Suddenly, however, Evie saw something move slightly out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head a fraction in that direction and saw Mello standing there, his face hidden by his hood and glasses but she was sure that he was looking back at her. She blinked, thinking him a figment of her imagination, but when he did not disappear, she wondered what he was doing her. She gazed at him, longing to see his face, to be in his arms again. She saw him raise his gun and aim at Aizawa's back, ready to shoot, but she shook her head slightly from side to side, her eyes wide with fear, praying that he didn't shoot, that he didn't mess up the plan. Then as Aizawa began to bring the blindfold to her eyes, she looked from Mello to the bit of paper that she had dropped on the ground, hoping that he would understand. She then looked back up at Aizawa, who was watching her curiously, but tied the blindfold around her eyes nonetheless. Although her vision was engulfed by darkness, the image of Mello standing there, ready to risk everything to help her, burned brightly in her mind's eye. Evie waited for Aizawa to take her by the arm and lead her out, but instead she heard Near speak.

"What are you doing, Aizawa?" Near asked.

"Sorry, I was just picking my glove up. I must have dropped it when I was taking Ever's blindfold out. We'll be leaving now." Evie heard Aizawa's voice reply.

_He was just…picking up his glove? But I didn't see anything fall out of his pocket when he took the blindfold out…but then again, I wasn't really watching him, I was looking at Mello…_Evie thought to herself, a wave of distress washing over her as she finally felt Aizawa's hand on her arm, forcing her to walk, forcing her away from Mello. She heard the door close behind them, and shortly after that she felt the cold wind on her face as they walked outside and to the car. The ride back to the Task Force HQ was just as silent as the one there…but there was something else that hung in the air beside the thick silence, it was something foreboding.

As the car stopped in front of the Task Force Headquarters, Evie was led out of the car and into the apartment, where Aizawa removed the blindfold and handcuffs and directed her into the small, familiar room she had come to recognize as her prison. He closed the door behind her, not saying a word, and she heard the lock click.

_I…I did it? Did I succeed? But then why…why do I feel like this? Shouldn't I feel happy, elated, hopeful? But I don't, I feel…_Evie was shaken out of her thoughts by the sound of knocking and the door opening. Light Yagami stepped inside, his expression unreadable. Evie straightened up, putting on a confident face as she looked up at Light.

"You were right, Near didn't hide his face from me! I got a good look at him, so if you'd like, I can draw his picture for you." Evie stated, trying to sound accomplished.

"That won't be necessary, Ever." Light replied, his face still expressionless but his voice was dangerous, a threatening look danced behind his eyes.

"What do you mean? I thought that was the plan?" Evie questioned, her heart racing.

"It seems you had plans of your own." Light said, tossing a small piece of crumpled paper onto the floor in front of Evie, watching her carefully. She stared down at the paper for a moment, bending over slowly and picking it up. She opened the crinkled paper with shaking hands, watching as the writing became visible, forming the message that she had written so carefully: Mikami has a fake Death Note.

"I'm sure you know what this means, Ever…" Light said softly, a cruel grin spreading across his face as he looked down at her.

Evie did not respond. Light's voice seemed a million miles away, then she heard him leave, heard him close and lock the door, but all of that seemed unreal to her. Everything seemed artificial and dreamlike, everything except the scrap of paper in her shaking hands and the feeling of dread that began to spread within her.

* * *

Sooooooo that's chapter 13 for ya'll! I hope you liked it! Poor Evie…her plan failed! What's going to happen now?! So yeah, again, I'm really really sorry that this chapter took forever to get up. I mean…I was gone for two weeks but then I got back and had to work and get over my jet lag and crap…so that took some time. But I should be updating pretty regularly from now on. Anyway, please review and let me know what you think about the story, mmk? Thanks a bunch and until next chappie, all my love! 


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